NOTE: Due to the restrictions to keep us safe from the Coronavirus, The Work will continue as a remote workshop via Zoom. Please email Christopher Luna at christopherjluna@gmail.com by midnight the night before each workshop to RSVP if you would like to participate. Also, please share this event with others who might be interested.

The cost for the workshop is a suggested donation of $20 to Christopher Luna’s PayPal account. Suggested means that we would like for you to join us regardless of whether or not you can afford it right now.

SATURDAY AFTERNOON EDITION

Join us on Saturday, July 11 for The Work, a poetry writing workshop led by Christopher Luna. The Work is a drop-in poetry writing workshop for beginners as well as more experienced writers. Poetry encourages empathy and compassion, and sparks the shifts in consciousness which can lead to healing, personal growth, and an interest in fighting for progressive social change. We will read and discuss poetry, write several new poems, and give each writer feedback on at least one of the drafts composed during the workshop.

“Well, while I’m here I’ll do the work — and what’s the work?
To ease the pain of living. Everything else, drunken dumbshow.”
― Allen Ginsberg, “Memory Gardens” (Fall of America, City Lights)

$20 suggested donation; no one will be turned away for lack of funds.

Bring a poem to share as a way of saying hello.

Shareable snacks are also welcome and very much appreciated.

The Saturday Afternoon Edition of The Work takes place at Niche Wine Bar (1013 Main Street, Vancouver) from 11:30am – 2:00pm on the second Saturday of every month, unless otherwise noted. Upcoming Saturday afternoon workshops will take place on August 8. These workshops will take place on Zoom until it is safe to do so in person.

MONDAY NIGHT EDITION

The Work also takes place on Monday nights. The Monday Night Edition of The Work takes place at Angst Gallery (1015 Main Street, Vancouver) from 6-8:30 pm on the second and fourth Monday of each month, unless otherwise noted. These workshops will take place on Zoom until it is safe to do so in person.

Upcoming Monday night workshops will take place on July 13 & 27 and August 10 & 24.

If you are looking for writing coaching, editing/manuscript review, or information about poetry and memoir classes, send Christopher an email via printedmattervancouver@gmail.com.

IMAGE: The Work: Alleviate Suffering by Christopher Luna.

You can see more of Christopher’s collages on his blog.

In June & July 2020, Niche Wine Bar’s Loo-vre presents A Fearful Time, A Hopeful Time: The Collage Art of Christopher Luna. These collages were created since we began staying home to stay safe from COVID-19. Many of them were created while listening to DJ Questlove’s livestreamed DJ sets.

Christopher’s debut full-length book of poetry, Message from the Vessel in a Dream, which also features some of his collage art, is available for sale as well.

Beginning June 9, Niche is open for dine-in as well as take out service. More information is available on our website and our Facebook page.

We are taking reservations Tuesday through Saturday from 4-8PM and will close at 9PM. We will continue taking reservations after the inaugural two weeks and will offer walk-ins after we get up to speed with our new social distancing rules.

Please reach out if you have any questions. Reservations can be made by e-mailing nichewine@gmail.com or calling (360) 980-8352. We are still offering to-go orders for those not comfortable dining in.

Please follow us on Instagram (@nichewinebar) for daily updates and thank you again for your support!

Christopher Luna is a collage artist, poet, editor, and teacher, whose visual art has been featured at Angst Gallery, North Bank Artists Gallery, and Multnomah Arts Center. His collage work can be seen on book covers for several poetry books and anthologies. Luna served as the inaugural Poet Laureate of Clark County from 2013-2017. Luna has an MFA from the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics, and is the co-founder, with Toni Lumbrazo Luna, of Printed Matter Vancouver, an editing service and small press for Northwest writers. He and Toni co-host the LGBTQ+ friendly, all ages and uncensored Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic in Vancouver, WA, founded by Christopher in 2004. Christopher Luna’s books include Message from the Vessel in a Dream (Flowstone Press, 2018), Brutal Glints of Moonlight, and The Flame Is Ours: The Letters of Stan Brakhage and Michael McClure 1961-1978.