SMSU Creative Writing to Host Visiting Artists on April 14

Published Monday, March 31, 2025

L-R: Crowfather and SEE MORE PERSPECTIVE

The SMSU Creative Writing Program will host the final Visiting Writers event of the year on Monday, April 14 at 7:00pm in the Upper Conference Center at SMSU. “Hopecore: An Evening of Hip Hop, Experimental Beats, and Spoken Word for Social Change with Crowfather & SEE MORE PERSPECTIVE” will be an uplifting, anti-doomsday concert of hope. The concert is free and open to the public.

The two artists will also participate in a “Creative Conversations” Q&A Chat with students about making a life in the arts. This event will be held on Monday, April 14 at noon in BA 219. This event is also free and open to the public.

Crowfather

Born and raised on the South Side of Minneapolis, Nick “Crowfather” Northrup has been rapping for nearly a decade, honing a unique storytelling style that draws from personal life experiences and carefully crafted cadences. Inspired to rap since the age of nine, Crowfather pursued a college education in writing to ensure he had a clear message to convey. He earned a bachelor’s degree in English Literature-Creative Writing from Southwest Minnesota State University in 2014. It wasn't until therapy that he discovered the true story he wanted to tell. Crowfather's music aims to be a source of solace and understanding, pulling back the curtain on cycles of generational trauma, inner demons, and the resilience that keeps us going.

SEE MORE PERSPECTIVE

Xicanx writer, producer, and performer SEE MORE PERSPECTIVE has been described as a “Chicago Institution,” “Walking creativity” and “The hardest working, most unjustly slept on artist in the Twin Cities.” As an artist and educator committed to liberation, he’s dedicated his life to studying, creating, teaching, and performing hiphop, spoken word, and social justice. See More creates in various capacities across disciplines as a solo artist, collaborator, producer, and music director.

In addition to writing, producing, and performing for over two decades, See More has been teaching hip hop, spoken word, and social justice for fifteen years, working with students and audiences of all ages from all over the world. Most recently, he has been on artists rosters for TruArtSpeaks, COMPAS Arts MN, East Side Arts Council, and the Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop.

SEE has served on the board of the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, participated in panels for the Cedar Cultural Center’s Cedar Commission, and is a member of the Northern Spark Program Council. He most recently received an Artist Initiative grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board for a music video series of music videos promoting consent, healthy sexuality, and the combating of rape culture.

For information, contact the director of creative writing, Jessie Hennen (jessica.hennen@SMSU.edu)