Multi-media poet T.J. Richter will perform his show "Skateboarding Harpies!" on Monday at Cafe Melange (720 N. 3rd. St.). Richter describes his brand of performance art as "similar to Laurie Anderson's in that it combines projected comic strips, music, sound effects, storytelling and poetry."

In the past year, Richter has worked at Performance Space 122 in Manhattan, and several other venues in New York. He's also performed a number of shows in Detroit and Chicago and is now returning to Cafe Melange, the home of his start.

Using everything from spoken word and commercial billboards to hip-hop slang, Richter fuses disparate elements of mass culture into his own eclectic brand of frenetic art. Performing within a medium that doesn't have much market here, Richter still like still likes the town, and hopes performance art will eventually gain more acceptance. Showtime starts at 9:30 p.m. Cover charge is $2.

by Nick Carter