Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic

Hosted by Christopher Luna and Toni Partington of Printed Matter Vancouver

Featuring Matthew Eiford-Schroeder

Poet and author of Consistently East, the new book by Printed Matter Vancouver

7 pm

Thursday, August 9

Open mic sign up begins at 6:30 and closes at 7

Angst Gallery

1015 Main Street

Vancouver, WA 98660

angstgallery.com

Food and libation provided by Niche Wine Bar, 1013 Main Street

Sound provided by Briz Loan & Guitar: http://briz.us/

LGBTQ+ FRIENDLY, ALL AGES, AND UNCENSORED SINCE 2004

Join us as we celebrate the release of the latest book from Printed Matter Vancouver, poet Matthew Eiford-Schroder’s debut Consistently East.

“What is adventure in the time of Google Maps? If hardship is what separates an adventure from a vacation, how does one reconcile the ease of travel with the challenges one faces?” Matthew Eiford-Schroeder wrote the poems in Consistently East as he emerged from the fog of a brain injury he suffered as a result of a violent attack. Join the poet on his global travels from Brooklyn, New York to London, across Mongolia via a charity rally, then on to Seoul, Korea. After returning to the West Coast of the United States to visit his family, Matthew worked the oil fields of North Dakota before finally returning to Brooklyn, where he was assaulted. “I wrote these poems when the world stopped shaking enough for me to collect and organize words again. I had to rebuild myself, take an inventory of memories, then create. To begin to live in a world that had changed in a self that was no longer the same, but both not completely severed from the trauma and beauty of the past.”

Advance praise for Consistently East

“Traveling roads in between two stages of apocalypse, here is a friend’s diary written on a hostel wall. Through poetry, we relax into the same curiosity and fear of the wanderer, his flashbacks becoming ours. Love, insight, and invitation command this collection. And the revelation that our memoir is safest in the hands of a madman.”

– Tongo Eisen-Martin, author of Heaven is All Goodbyes (City Lights), winner of the 2018 California Book Award for Poetry.

About the Author

Matthew Eiford-Schroeder was raised in Camas, Washington, where he spent a sizable portion of his time working and playing on his grandparents’ cattle farm. He moved around America, working retail and lifting heavy things, before eventually landing in New York, where he snuck into an art school and became a bouncer.  He currently lives in Bellingham, where he is studying political science at Western Washington University.

About Printed Matter Vancouver

Printed Matter Vancouver is a small press and editing service for Northwest writers co-founded by Christopher Luna and Toni Lumbrazo Luna. Consistently East is our fifth publication, following two anthologies of poetry from the popular Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic reading series (est. 2004) and debut volumes of poetry by Vancouver, WA poets Jenney Pauer (Serenity in the Brutal Garden, 2012) and Tiffany Burba (Meet Me Where I Left You, 2016).

We love to work with writers to develop their skills, bring an idea to a reality, provide writing, editing, and coaching services, assist with a book concept, prepare for a book launch or a featured reading, or provide a critique of a manuscript. We work on small and large projects: from broadsides and chapbooks, to collections and anthologies. We work with writers in several genre areas: poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, news and public interest articles, and literary reviews. We assist writers with content, format, arrangement, and promotional strategies.

Our fees are reasonable and our initial consultation is offered at no charge. We are formally trained and have been published broadly. Let us help you launch yourself and make your writing goals a reality. For more information visit our website at printedmattervancouver.com or contact printedmattervancouver@gmail.com.