by VINCENT TINGUELY

If the Kalmunity Collective represents the positive potential unleashed when artists work together, then Kalmunity member Stephen Thomas is a good example of that unleashed energy on the individual level. Since 1998, when he first trod the spoken word stage at Coco Café, he's been honing his own skills and reaching out to help others to do the same. "About a year and a half ago, JahSun asked me to join Kalmunity," Thomas says. "All the momentum started up after that. About 60 people regularly come out to the weekly show, and for the bigger shows, 150-200 people come out."

Currently, Thomas's biggest project with Kalmunity is an interactive digital conference focusing on spoken word poetry, scheduled for April. Hosted by Oboro Gallery in Montreal and the Centre for Art Tapes in Halifax, the five-week conference will include round-table discussions, lectures and performances. "The pinnacle will be a four-day digital cybercafé at Oboro," Thomas enthuses.

Thomas has also created the Stephen Thomas Group for his own projects, which currently include a CD being recorded at DNA studios with members of Kalmunity and producer David Sturton. "The album isn't even spoken word," Thomas says. "We're calling it spoken song, because we've taken it beyond what spoken word artists are doing currently." He's also producing his own series of shows, Soapbox. "We've created this performance theatre with poets who can do other things - play percussion, guitar, trumpet or sing," Thomas explains. The third edition of Soapbox is slated for Jan. 13, 9:30 p.m., at the Main Hall (5390 St-Laurent). For more information, check out yet another project Thomas is involved in: www.myspokenworld.com. "We hope to gather all the spoken word organizing people and create a resource on the Web," says Thomas. The site should be up and running early this month.