THIS EPISODE INCLUDES A SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT A SPECIAL EVENT AT THE MERCURY CAFE ON MARCH 28th, 2025.

This is the last night the the Mercury Cafe will exist under that name. Come join us for a special (live recorded) night celebrating all the poets and poetry that have taken the stage over the years.

Philip Tran is a poet of many mediums—words, collage, and the ephemeral art of live performance. Hailing from Denver, he is a passport-wielding wanderer, a florist with an eye for beauty, a handyman with a poet’s touch, a roller skater chasing rhythm, and an emcee who curates spaces where voices rise and resonate.

As the longtime host of Denver’s beloved 4th Friday poetry open mic—formerly at The Mercury Cafe, soon to be The Pearl—Philip fosters a stage where vulnerability meets applause. His podcast, From My Open Mic, captures the raw electricity of live poetry, available on Spotify.

In 2023, he launched Bound By The Beat, an event weaving together Denver’s rope bondage and jazz communities, an experiment in trust, tension, and improvisation. With a choose-your-own-adventure poetry book in the works and a hunger for new stages, he may soon be performing near you.

When asked what superpower he’d choose, he answered: To awaken the superpowers in those unaware of their own.

@invader_4 & (NSFW) @invader__4