about
I figured I'd rather be connected to a small number of people in a meaningful way than thousands of people via terrible social media companies. I just want to share cool stuff: both updates on my own work and resources, readings, good art, and beyond. So here's a newsletter. My main site (with all kinds of resources, zines, my own poems/music/etc.) is still at guante.info.
Kyle Tran Myhre (aka Guante) is a poet and activist whose work explores the relationships between narrative, power, and resistance. He’s performed at the United Nations, contributed to a Grammy-winning album, been a member of two National Poetry Slam championship teams, and visited countless colleges, conferences, and festivals, using spoken word and storytelling as doorways into critical dialogue. His most recent book, Not a Lot of Reasons to Sing, But Enough, is available now via Button Poetry. (Follow on Instagram or Bluesky).
Where Do I Know You From?
A few ways people find me:
- Viral poems like "Ten Responses to the Phrase 'Man Up'," or "Police Make the Best Poets," or "How to Explain White Supremacy to a White Supremacist" (with the quote "white supremacy is not a shark; it's the water"). I'm on Button Poetry's roster (alongside poets like Andrea Gibson, Rudy Francisco, and many others). Find all of my poems here.
- I'm the "Kyle" in Grammy-winning producer Fred Again's breakout single "Kyle (i found you)." He sampled a poem of mine, and it's been a big part of his live show. I also contributed writing/vocals to his song "Berwyn (all that i got is you)."
- Lots of random stuff: my song "Matches" was featured on Welcome to Night Vale, I've released multiple albums with producer Big Cats, my poems on consent and healthy masculinity are used in first-year orientation programs all over the country, and I've just been doing this work for many years, visiting hundreds of schools, theaters, and others spaces. And if you're here in the Twin Cities with me, you may know me from my work with MPD150, or TruArtSpeaks, or COMPAS, or from any of a thousand performances, from the grimiest basement mutual aid fundraisers, to festivals like Soundset, Eaux Claires, and Wordplay, to community centers, high schools, clubs, rallies, theaters, and beyond.