My name is Cole Sarar.
I am a writer, usually a poet. I write both “page” poetry and “stage” poetry. I won an Urban Griots award for being a Best New Spoken Word Artist in 2009, in 2010 I won a State Arts Board Grant in poetry, in 2012 I sat on the State Arts Board grants panel, and in late 2012 I won a VERVE grant. I’ve been published in Paper Darts, Anatomy+Etymology, Write Bloody’s “Aim for the Head” anthology, and Midwest Literary Magazine. I’ve collaborated on other interactive public art projects, like the Art Shanty Projects (2010, 2012), MN0 Puzzle Quest, and Journey to the End of the Night Minneapolis.
It is hard to write a mission statement as a human being, but during a VERVE grant cohort meeting last November, I wrote on a post-it note, a big ostentatious goal for myself. “I want to make lots of weird, interactive art.” I think that encapsulates it pretty well- I want to garden, I want to travel, I want to read good books, and have interesting conversations. I want to laugh and dance and play crazy board games. I want to feel the wind on me and my bicycle. I want to have superhero hair. I want to do work that impacts the world in a beneficial way, and I want to make lots of weird, interactive art.
I have a “day job”, working with wonderful people to strengthen independent businesses and defend people’s right to foods that are healthy for themselves and the environment.
