By Wesley Yonts

It is rare when a poet is rendered speechless.

But that is what happened when Mike Kimble, an integrated strategic communications senior, found out that he was hand picked to go to Albuquerque, N.M., to participate in a national beat poetry competition.

In Kimble’s honor, the Cats Den is hosting “An Evening of Poetry” tonight at 8.

International and gender studies sophomore Katie Goldey and English senior Chuck Cleeney will open for Kimble.

“I can’t put it into words, because I’ve come such a long way being a freshmen and writing poetry … and now I’m being recognized as one of the best poets in the nation,” Kimble said.

“I want to be that trail blazer to get poetry more recognition because everybody should get recognition for what they do, but I don’t think poetry gets it’s just do,” he said.

The competition will be sponsored by the Association of College Unions International and will take place April 2 in Albuquerque. Students from across the nation will partake in the competition.

“All the hard work and speaking in front of smaller crowds, all of these things have paid off to the point where people want me to showcase and I’m going to nationals,” Kimble said.

“There’s a lot of good poets out there you just got to find them,” he said.