Rise From the Ashes: The Mercury Café, Denver Slam, and a Three-Minute Spark

By Jason Van Tatenhove

I came down from my high-mountain hamlet this weekend and walked the streets of Capitol Hill, Colfax, and Broadway — leaves already turning, the wind carrying that first hint of colder days to come. The same kid who once prowled these blocks in a hand-painted black leather jacket now returns older, notebook in hand instead of a cam…