Christopher Luna and Toni Lumbrazo Luna (formerly Partington) co-host Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic, the LGBTQ+ friendly, all ages and uncensored Vancouver, WA reading series Luna founded in 2004. Luna and Partington are also the co-founders of Printed Matter Vancouver, a small press and editing/coaching service serving Northwest writers. Printed Matter Vancouver has published two anthologies from the Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic as well as debut books of poetry by Clark County, WA poets Tiffany Burba, Matthew Eiford-Schroeder, and Jenney Pauer.
Toni Lumbrazo Luna is the author of Wind Wing and the chapbook Jesus is a Gas.
Message from the Vessel in a Dream (Flowstone Press, 2018) featuring poetry and collage art by Christopher Luna
Christopher Luna is the author of Message from the Vessel in a Dream (Flowstone Press, 2018) and the chapbooks GHOST TOWN, USA and Brutal Glints of Moonlight.
Claudia F. Saleeby Savage is part of the performance duo Thick in the Throat, Honey and co-runs a parent-artist podcast of the same name. Her most recent book of poetry is Bruising Continents. Other recent work appears in BOMB, Denver Quarterly, Columbia, Nimrod, Water-Stone Review, and Anomaly (the interview series “Witness the Hour: Arab American Poets Across the Diaspora”). She is a 2018-2021 Black Earth Institute Fellow, a progressive think tank. Her collaboration, reductions, about motherhood and ephemerality with visual artist Jacklyn Brickman, is forthcoming in 2020. She teaches privately and as a Writer in the Schools and lives with her husband and daughter in Portland.
Passages Bookshop 1223 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd. Portland, OR 97232 (503) 388-7665 info@passagesbookshop.com
$5 suggested donation for the readers (no one turned away)
Jen Coleman is author of PSALMS FOR DOGS AND SORCERERS, from Trembling Pillow Press, winner of the 2013 Bob Kaufman Book Prize selected by poet Dara Wier. Her second book, WE DENIZENS, was released from Furniture Press in 2016. Jen has been called “the heart’s bittersweet cartoonist” by poet Graham Foust, and “Walt Whitman and Elizabeth Bishop’s secret lovechild” by poet Richard Roundy. Originally from Minnesota, Jen received her BA from Beloit College and MFA from George Mason University in Virginia. She spent eight years in New York before moving to Portland, OR. She now lives in Portland, OR where she works for the Oregon Environmental Council.
Jefferson Hansen is the author, most recently, of the poetry collection 100 Hybrids (Post-Asemic Press). He has also authored Cruelty, a book of short stories, and and Beefheart saved Craig, a novel, both published by BlazeVox. He lives in Minneapolis.
Message from the Vessel in a Dream (Flowstone Press, 2018) featuring poetry and collage art by Christopher Luna
Christopher Luna served as the first Poet Laureate of Clark County, WA from 2013-2017. His first full-length collection of poetry, Message from the Vessel in a Dream, was published by Flowstone Press in 2018. 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, a small press for Northwest writers which also provides writing coaching, editing, and manuscript review. He has hosted the popular Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic in Vancouver, WA since 2004. Luna’s books include Brutal Glints of Moonlight and The Flame Is Ours: The Letters of Stan Brakhage and Michael McClure 1961-1978. In 2019 Uttered Chaos Press in Eugene, OR will release a revised and expanded edition of Christopher’s Ghost Town, USA, a decade-long investigative poem about Vancouver, WA.
*****
“Write me a poem,”
says Mom,
“that
I would like.”
“About death.”
Jen Coleman
this poem is under surveillance
this poem will be “read”
by more algorithms than people
this poem was written
while Spotify “played”
Spotify has more data
on this poem than I do
can Spotify “interpret” this poem
this poem was published
in a different form on Facebook
this poem is part of my
Facebook security download
this poem was emailed to the
publisher of this Print on Demand book
yet this poem exists most securely
in the Cloud
Jefferson Hansen
Channel Z (circa 1989)
suddenly static in my own time in your own time beware a tear can
appear a rip a slash through the static in a moment and suddenly too
suddenly you are not wherever you are but then again and there may
be no reason why but there you are in the lavender shorts the garment
that stuck around not wanting to miss a moment of this crisis this chaos
this crisis of faith this fundamental fissure in the unseen scripture you
rarely regarded as worth your time that time static that age static in my
attic laughs in a darkened kitchen and you did not then and you do not
now believe do not believe do not believe in anything but love
Opening Reception:
Tuesday, March 26, 6:00–9:00 pm
Collage by Keith Waldrop
Seventy-two exquisite & vivid minuscule works by the acclaimed poet, translator, and copublisher of Burning Deck Press.
In a “Statement on Collage” from 1994, Keith Waldrop distinguishes two primary directions, typified by Max Ernst and Kurt Schwitters. Waldrop tends generally toward the latter’s approach, in which “the debris that [Schwitters] has assembled fills the frame — there is no additional space, no container.”
For Keith, collage is “a way to explore, not necessarily the thing that I am tearing up, but the thing that I am contriving to build out of torn pieces.”
For a related exhibition and reading hosted by Wave Books and the Pacific NW College of Art in association with AWP, see the FB page Burning Deck Exhibit and Tribute to the Waldrops.
We were very honored to receive this tribute painting from our dear friend and Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic regular Scott Carstensen. Scott explained that he was inspired by “magic taken seriously,” a poem which appears in reading series founder Christopher Luna’s Message from the Vessel in a Dream (Flowstone Press, 2018). The painting features a few lines from the poem as well as meanings Scott found for “Luna.” It also pays tribute to Angst Gallery, Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic, co-host Toni Lumbrazo Luna, and the downtown Vancouver arts scene. Scott even threw in a nod to Christopher’s love for the Wu-Tang Clan.
Thank you, Scott.
Printed Matter Vancouver would also like to thank everyone who attended the event, those who shared their beautiful poems with us, and especially featured reader Nastashia Minto, who blew us away with her powerful set featuring poems from her brand new book, Naked: The Rhythm and Groove of It. The Depth and Length to It..
Ghost Town Poetry Volumes One and Two, Edited by Christopher Luna and Toni Lumbrazo Luna for Printed Matter Vancouver, and Christopher Luna’s Message from the Vessel in a Dream on display at Multnomah Arts Center
Christopher Luna reads from Message from the Vessel in a Dream at Vintage Books on February 2, 2019
Vintage Books
6613 E Mill Plain Blvd.
Vancouver, WA 98661
Flowstone Press announces the release of Message from the Vessel in a Dream, the first full-length volume of poetry by Christopher Luna, Clark County, WA’s first poet laureate (2013-2017) and the founder of Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic. The book contains work spanning 20 years, and favors prose poetry and collage poems assembled and arranged using found material. The book is dedicated to Carlos Santana, the guitar virtuoso and eponymous “vessel” who gifted Luna with the only line of poetry he has ever received from a dream.
Message from the Vessel in a Dream (Flowstone Press, 2018) featuring poetry and collage art by Christopher Luna
How many Christopher Lunas are there? The bard, the community dynamo, the scholar, the compassionate one, the jazz quartet, the father & lover, the world of a man: all and more are speaking in this book. So many perspectives to experience here, so much to learn about literature, attitude, action and beauty. The maestro of Ghost Town has created a bustling, radiant and necessary environment. — Dan Raphael
Christopher Luna served as Clark County, WA’s first Poet Laureate from 2013-2017. He 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 Lumbrazo Luna co-host Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic, the popular Vancouver, WA reading series he founded in 2004. Luna’s books include Brutal Glints of Moonlight, GHOST TOWN, USA and The Flame Is Ours: The Letters of Stan Brakhage and Michael McClure 1961-1978.
message from the vessel in a dream
completely still
seemingly emotion-
less yet blowing
notes to charm
succeeding ages
it matters little
whether one studies
flow or counterpoint
so long as eventually
the instrument is raised to the lips
you make your appearance
known through some creator
neither Duke nor Trane
ever revealed the source
a wisdom too precious
to put a name to
something not unlike the sound of the heart
beating in the chest of your firstborn
listen to the wind
as interpreted
remember how his hips’
involuntary Poughkeepsie shimmy
show’d you how it was done
never forget promises made
in the quiet of the early morning
priorities set straight
a brick wall stared down till dawn
experience cool breeze adrenaline release
and never forget you learned to listen
don’t forget to breathe
Note: this workshop has been postponed. Please watch this website for more information.
Earth Magic: Mindful Exploration as Poetics Practice with Christopher Luna
Saturday, March 9 10:00 am to 3:00 pm
TreeSong Nature Awareness & Retreat Center 41 Tree-ific Drive W., Washougal, WA PO Box 883, Washougal, WA 98671 360.837.TREE ~ 360.837.8733 hello@treesongnatureawareness.org
Poetry provides a way to explore our universe and document this process of discovery. We will read poets who have engaged with nature and complete a series of writing exercises. There will be an emphasis on mindful observation and real-time tracking of our daily movements. We will also discuss the role that observation and research play in building a body of reality-based work with the potential to engender compassion, understanding, and progressive social action. No writing experience necessary.
Christopher Luna is a collage artist, poet, editor, and teacher who served as the first 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 has hosted the popular Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic in Vancouver, WA since 2004. Luna’s books include Brutal Glints of Moonlight, GHOST TOWN, USA and The Flame Is Ours: The Letters of Stan Brakhage and Michael McClure 1961-1978. His first full-length collection of poetry, entitled Message from the Vessel in a Dream, was published by Flowstone Press in December 2018.
Testimonials:
Darlene Zimbardi had the following comments about her experience in Christopher’s poetry and memoir writing classes: “I love taking classes with Christopher. From the moment you walk into the room, you see and feel his passion for literature. His zest transfers to his students. It doesn’t matter where you are on your writing path, he encourages and challenges you. Christopher holds a safe space for writers to share their work.”
Rae Latham, a writer in Christopher’s Monday morning workshop at Multnomah Arts Center, comments: “Christopher is the poetry alchemist who helps us discover gold.”
LGBTQ+ FRIENDLY, ALL AGES, AND UNCENSORED SINCE 2004
A Georgia native who currently lives in Portland, OR, Nastashia Minto has performed at the Unchaste Readers Series, Neon Dream, Incite and various other reading series in the metro area. She has also appeared on KBOO Radio’s Talking Earth. Her writing has been published in SUSAN and in the forthcoming Unchaste Anthology Volume III. Nastashia’s first book, Naked, was published by Eldredge Books in February 2019.
Note: Nastashia and Eldredge Books will launch Naked with a reading at Another Read Through (3932 N Mississippi Ave. Portland, OR 97227) on February 28.
Ask Me …
Ask me of the mistakes I’ve made, and let me pull back the layers to my truth. Many false narratives, but I’m the original carbon proof. DNA soaked in cocaine and booze — don’t know how my genes survived, but ask me of the mistakes I’ve made. I still hold her truths, although she tells many lies. I cry, we cry, she cried, but she said we were all a mistake. Maybe after one, but after three, take responsibility for their place, your place, our place in this world. Forgiveness seems to fall off trees like leaves in the fall, but even in some regions the leaves will stay on the trees, so I guess forgiveness will never fall. Ask me of the mistakes I’ve made. I’ll be the first in line, raised hands to account for all the shit I’ve put you through. Ask me of the mistakes I’ve made. You preached forgiveness but forgot I came from you
Matthew Eiford-Schroeder and Christopher Luna would like to thank everyone who attended our reading on February 2. We are very grateful to Candace and the rest of the staff at Vintage Books for being so hospitable. Both Matthew and Christopher have additional readings lined up for this year. Please visit our Events page for more information.
Matthew Eiford-Schroeder reads from Consistently EastMatthew Eiford-Schroeder reads from Consistently EastMatthew Eiford-Schroeder reads from Consistently EastChristopher Luna reads from Message from the Vessel in a DreamChristopher Luna reads from Message from the Vessel in a Dream
Christopher would like to thank Steve and Emily for this wonderful video. He is also grateful to Leah Jackson for her many years of support for The Work and Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic. Finally, a hearty shout out to those who attended the workshop at Niche that afternoon (and appear briefly in the video): Stella Guillory, Diane Corson, Denise Campbell, Suzanne LaGrande, Robert Syverson, Paula John, Cathie Padgett, Sonja Gellerson, and Bruce Hall.
Christopher Luna is a poet, teacher, editor and was the first Poet Laureate for Clark County. He has been hosting Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic, since 2004, and we caught up with him at his writing workshop, also known as The Work, which is held on the second Saturday of every month at Niche Wine Bar on Main St.
“The name for the workshop comes from a couple of lines in a poem by Allen Ginsberg called Memory Gardens, where he says ‘What is the work? To ease the pain of living. Everything else, drunken dumbshow.’ I interpret that as let’s, as poets, in a culture where our work is not always completely understood or respected, let’s take it seriously enough to look at it as work. I think there are some people, even other writers, who don’t see poetry as work because they tend to be shorter than novels. I want to encourage poets in the workshop to own being a poet. To have fun, but to take the work seriously.”
Ginsberg himself co-founded the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics in Boulder, Colorado, where Luna earned an MFA in Writing and Poetics. It was there that Luna learned about outreach, developing writing workshops and going out into the community to teach. After becoming Clark County’s first Poet Laureate, he launched the Poets in the Schools Program, which continues sends writers into local educational settings to lead poetry workshops to this day.
For more information about Christopher Luna’s coaching and editing services, Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic, or The Work, visit https://printedmattervancouver.com/
Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic Hosted by Christopher Luna and Toni Lumbrazo Luna of Printed Matter Vancouver Featuring Tim Whitsel
7 pm Thursday, January 10, 2019 Open mic sign up begins at 6:30 and closes at 7 FREE
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
Tim Whitsel believes in the power of dogwood blossoms. He may have migrated west on a solitary bicycle at the age of nineteen. He remembers the cheekbones of the first girl he kissed. He studied with David Waggoner, James Welch and Stanley Plumly at the University of Washington. For six years he curated the Windfall Reading Series at the Eugene Public Library. His poem “Mudflat Allure” won first prize at the 2013 Northwest Poets’ Concord. We Say Ourselves appeared in 2012 from Traprock Books and Airlie Press published his full-length collection Wish Meal in 2016.
GRIMACE
A cabin on a snowy river made
lonelier by threadbare conifers.
French doors, three glass teeth
facing the direction of the storm.
Everyone is away for the day.
Cinching their ballcaps snug
for a comfort they don’t feel.
Blowing on their hands one at a
time so their placards don’t fall.
Follow the Money, Hear ME
unwilling to be fenced like cattle
or fly south like trumpeter swans.
Tim Whitsel
May 10, 2018
Are you ready to take control of your writing goals? Do you have a manuscript that needs polishing before being submitted for publication? Printed Matter Vancouver can help. We are accepting new clients now.
2018 was a great year for Printed Matter Vancouver. We had the privilege of working with an impressive group of creative individuals at various stages in their writing journey. We are humbled by their grace, talent, and perseverance. They entrusted us with their precious poems, essays, stories, fiction, articles, and commentary. We provided guidance, editing, formatting assistance, critique, and revision. Witnessing the growth and commitment of these writers is incredibly satisfying. To say this year has been astounding would be an understatement. We are grateful to those who have put their trust in us. These inspiring individuals have an unflinching determination to do the work that is necessary to grow and improve as a writer.
Printed Matter Vancouver Co-founders Christopher Luna and Toni Lumbrazo Luna at Sam Mackenzie and Kelly Keigwin’s wedding. Photo by Julian Nelson.
If you are considering working with an editor, compiling a chapbook, or further developing your writing skills, contact us for an initial consultation at no cost to you. We can be reached via printedmattervancouver@gmail.com. Let’s explore your writing together!
With sincere appreciation to all for a great year,
Christopher Luna and Toni Lumbrazo Luna
Here are a few of the projects we worked on during 2018:
• Editing and formatting a debut book of poetry.
• Editing of a historical memoir.
• Critique, review, and editing of a significant collection of poetry.
• Editing Book #1 of a fiction series.
• Editing a full-length book of haiku.
• Coaching a poet mining decades of journals to create a series of chapbooks.
PRINTED MATTER VANCOUVER 