Late on a Sunday afternoon my phone rang, "Hey, it's Jose. I'm taking my son over to my mom's house and then I'll probably head to the Mercury Cafè later. Is that cool?"Not having much background information on Jose or even a rough draft of the story yet, I had no idea that he even had a son. "Is it cool if I hang out with you guys for a little while?," I respond.
"Sure," he says.
I grab my gear as fast as I could and raced out the door four hours early from when I was supposed to meet the young slam poet at the "Merc" as they like to call it and I'm really glad that I did. Jose, his son, JT, and Jose's parents welcomed me into their west Denver home without hesitation. They went on about their business making a snack, playing some basketball and brushing JT's teeth before Jose had to leave him behind to head out to the weekly poetry slam.
I had heard plenty about the cafè but never been. Although terrifyingly dark from a photo perspective, it was great to work in. The colors and atmosphere were something that I hadn't experienced before.
I followed Jose through his pre-stage routine that mirrored that of an athlete getting ready for a game, save for a few cigarettes in the back alley. Clearly this wasn't his first time; the nerves never showed.
Greg Glasgow's article eloquently describes the evening, in addition to Jose's rise from several struggling times. You don't have to take my word for it though, read it yourself.
This was one of my favorite stories that I've worked on. It probably doesn't hurt that it turned out to be my first magazine cover story. The next one won't be as big of a deal but the first anything in your career is always exciting.
-JCE
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