Thank you to Joann Boswell for allowing me to create a broadside of her poem “Cement-Crack Sunflower,” which she presented at Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic on October 12, 2023. To learn more about Joann’s poetry and photography, or to order her books, visit https://joannrenee.com/.
Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic
Featuring Marc Janssen
Hosted by Christopher Luna and Morgan Paige
7 pm
Thursday, November 9
Art at the Cave
108 E Evergreen Blvd
Vancouver, WA 98660
LGBTQ+ FRIENDLY, PRO-SCIENCE, ANTI-FASCIST, PRO-CHOICE,
ALL AGES, AND UNCENSORED SINCE 2004
$5 Suggested donation
No one will be turned away for lack of funds
Donations can be made in person or through Christopher Luna’s PayPal account (christopherjluna@gmail.com). Include a memo stating that the money is for Ghost Town Poetry. The suggested donation is five dollars.
Marc Janssen has been writing poems since around 1980. Some people would say that was a long time but not a dinosaur. Early decrepitude has not slowed him down much; his verse can be found scattered around the world in places like Pinyon, Slant, Cirque Journal, Off the Coast, and Poetry Salzburg as well as in his book November Reconsidered. Janssen coordinates the weekly Salem Poetry Project reading, the Salem Poetry Festival, and was a nominee for Oregon Poet Laureate. For more information visit marcjanssenpoet.com.
The Ghost Town Poetry community respectfully encourages you to support Niche Wine Bar, whose owner, Leah Jackson, provided a home for the reading series from 2015-2020. Stop by their new location at 900 Washington, Suite 130 Vancouver, WA 98660: https://nichewinebar.com.
UPDATED Statement on Healthy Spaces from Art at the Cave: We want to provide a healthy space to enjoy art. We have been practicing safety precautions such as regular cleaning, social distancing and mask wearing. As a result of the removal of the mask mandate effective March 12, 2022, we will no longer require the wearing of masks. We encourage you to continue to wear a mask if it makes you feel more comfortable, and we will supply masks and hand sanitizer at the door. As social distancing has become a norm, please be mindful some will still need a bit of personal space while inside the gallery.
Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic
Featuring Greg Bee
Hosted by Christopher Luna and Morgan Paige
7 pm
Thursday, October 12
Art at the Cave
108 E Evergreen Blvd
Vancouver, WA 98660
LGBTQ+ FRIENDLY, PRO-SCIENCE, ANTI-FASCIST, PRO-CHOICE,
ALL AGES, AND UNCENSORED SINCE 2004
$5 Suggested donation
Donations can be made in person or through Christopher Luna’s PayPal account (christopherjluna@gmail.com). Include a memo stating that the money is for Ghost Town Poetry. The suggested donation is five dollars.
Greg Bee is magic, art and kindness. Their books include the poetry chapbooks My Favorite Poems to Scream Onstage and Being Gender-Fluid Confuses Me More Than It Confuses You. They use the medium of love to help people connect. The words they speak on stage are a vehicle for this journey. Enjoy the ride! Learn more at http://www.gregbeepoetry.com/
The Ghost Town Poetry community respectfully encourages you to support Niche Wine Bar, whose owner, Leah Jackson, provided a home for the reading series from 2015-2020. Stop by their new location at 900 Washington, Suite 130 Vancouver, WA 98660: https://nichewinebar.com.
UPDATED Statement on Healthy Spaces from Art at the Cave: We want to provide a healthy space to enjoy art. We have been practicing safety precautions such as regular cleaning, social distancing and mask wearing. As a result of the removal of the mask mandate effective March 12, 2022, we will no longer require the wearing of masks. We encourage you to continue to wear a mask if it makes you feel more comfortable, and we will supply masks and hand sanitizer at the door. As social distancing has become a norm, please be mindful some will still need a bit of personal space while inside the gallery.
Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic
Featuring Tommy Gaffney
Hosted by Christopher Luna and Morgan Paige
7 pm
Thursday, September 14
Art at the Cave
108 E Evergreen Blvd
Vancouver, WA 98660
https://artatthecave.com
LGBTQ+ FRIENDLY, PRO-SCIENCE, ANTI-FASCIST, PRO-CHOICE,
ALL AGES, AND UNCENSORED SINCE 2004
$5 Suggested donation
Donations can be made in person or through Christopher Luna’s PayPal account (christopherjluna@gmail.com). Include a memo stating that the money is for Ghost Town Poetry. The suggested donation is five dollars.
Tommy Gaffney was born and raised in Kentucky, somewhere between the trailer park and the projects. He is the author of two books of poetry: Three Beers from Oblivion (2006) and Whiskey Days (2010), which was nominated for the Oregon Book Award for Poetry. His favorite colors are John Deere Green and Joey Ramone Black.
The Ghost Town Poetry community respectfully encourages you to support Niche Wine Bar, whose owner, Leah Jackson, provided a home for the reading series from 2015-2020. Stop by their new location at 900 Washington, Suite 130 Vancouver, WA 98660: https://nichewinebar.com.
UPDATED Statement on Healthy Spaces from Art at the Cave: We want to provide a healthy space to enjoy art. We have been practicing safety precautions such as regular cleaning, social distancing and mask wearing. As a result of the removal of the mask mandate effective March 12, 2022, we will no longer require the wearing of masks. We encourage you to continue to wear a mask if it makes you feel more comfortable, and we will supply masks and hand sanitizer at the door. As social distancing has become a norm, please be mindful some will still need a bit of personal space while inside the gallery.
Many thanks to everyone who attended the open mic at The Howard House on July 30 sponsored by The Historic Trust and hosted by Printed Matter Vancouver co-founders Christopher Luna and Toni Lumbrazo Luna. The open mic included dynamic readings by Lucas Gubala, Drew Morse, Papasquatch, Denise Campbell, Christopher Diaz, and two of Joann’s children. We were also joined by members of the Southwest Washington Watercolor Society, who worked on their paintings while listening. Christopher and Toni would like to thank Mindy Wilkins and Temple Lentz of The Historic Trust for inviting us to participate in this fun, family-friendly afternoon of poetry in the sun.
Photos by Christopher Luna and Madilynn Klein.
Open Mic Poetry Reading
Featuring Clark County Authors Joann Renee Boswell and DC Klein
Hosted by Christopher Luna and Toni Lumbrazo Luna
1-3pm
July 30, 2023
General O.O. Howard House
750 Anderson St
Vancouver, WA 98661
The Historic Trust and Printed Matter Vancouver co-founders Christopher Luna and Toni Lumbrazo Luna present an afternoon of family-friendly open mic poetry on the patio at The Howard House in Vancouver, WA. Everyone in the community is invited to share a poem or just listen. We are also proud to present featured readings by two Clark County poets, Joann Renee Boswell and D.C. Klein. Bring a picnic, blanket, or folding chair.
Joann Renee Boswell is a poet, photographer, teacher, director, mystic, mother who lives in Camas, WA with her husband (a Quaker minister) and her three young children. Joann’s first book, Cosmic Pockets (Fernwood Press, 2020), is a full-length collection of poetry and photography. Her chapbook, breath so hungry (The Poetry Box, 2022), is a love letter. Her second full-length collection is a coloring poetry book in collaboration with two illustrators called Meta-Verse! (Fernwood Press, 2023). Joann has been a poetry editor for Untold Volumes and VoiceCatcher. She has been published in CIRQUE, otoliths, VoiceCatcher, Tiny Seed Literary Journal, Not a Pipe Publishing, and Soul Forte. You can read more at joannrenee.com.
DC Klein is a poet looking out a window. He has been published in Residual Believers and Body Fluids, among others. His first chapbook Half a Martyr, was self-published in 2021.
Printed Matter Vancouver is a small press focused on Southwest Washington poets founded by Christopher Luna and Toni Lumbrazo Luna in 2011. To learn more about their publications, Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic, workshops, editing, or coaching, visit printedmattervancouver.com.
Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic
Featuring Julia Gaskill
Hosted by Christopher Luna and Morgan Paige
7 pm
Thursday, August 10
Art at the Cave
108 E Evergreen Blvd
Vancouver, WA 98660
LGBTQ+ FRIENDLY, PRO-SCIENCE, ANTI-FASCIST, PRO-CHOICE,
ALL AGES, AND UNCENSORED SINCE 2004
$5 Suggested donation
Donations can be made in person or through Christopher Luna’s PayPal account (christopherjluna@gmail.com). Include a memo stating that the money is for Ghost Town Poetry. The suggested donation is five dollars.
Julia Gaskill (she/her) is a professional daydreamer hailing from Portland, Oregon. She’s competed multiple times on national stages and toured with her poetry across North America. Julia’s work has been featured through Pile Press, Vagabond City Lit, Nailed Magazine, Button Poetry, and more. Her debut full length collection, weirdo, was published by Game Over Books in October 2022. She was included in the anthologies In Absentia (Bicycle Comics) and Excelsior! (FreezeRay Poetry), and will be included in great weather for MEDIA’s forthcoming 2023 anthology. Julia is also the author of four chapbooks, runs the poetry mic Slamlandia, co-founded the Bigfoot Poetry Festival, and is the creator of the spoken word album, Stouthearted Bitch. Find Julia at @geekgirlgrownup or juliagaskill.com.
The Ghost Town Poetry community respectfully encourages you to support Niche Wine Bar, whose owner, Leah Jackson, provided a home for the reading series from 2015-2020. Stop by their new location at 900 Washington, Suite 130 Vancouver, WA 98660: https://nichewinebar.com.
UPDATED Statement on Healthy Spaces from Art at the Cave: We want to provide a healthy space to enjoy art. We have been practicing safety precautions such as regular cleaning, social distancing and mask wearing. As a result of the removal of the mask mandate effective March 12, 2022, we will no longer require the wearing of masks. We encourage you to continue to wear a mask if it makes you feel more comfortable, and we will supply masks and hand sanitizer at the door. As social distancing has become a norm, please be mindful some will still need a bit of personal space while inside the gallery.
Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic
Featuring Josh Gaines
Hosted by Christopher Luna and Morgan Paige
7 pm
Thursday, July 13
Art at the Cave
108 E Evergreen Blvd
Vancouver, WA 98660
LGBTQ+ FRIENDLY, PRO-SCIENCE, ANTI-FASCIST, PRO-CHOICE,
ALL AGES, AND UNCENSORED SINCE 2004
$5 Suggested donation
Donations can be made in person or through Christopher Luna’s PayPal account (christopherjluna@gmail.com). Include a memo stating that the money is for Ghost Town Poetry. The suggested donation is five dollars.
Josh Gaines ditched a promising military career to write books, run a profitless press, and build blanket forts with his daughter. He earned his writing MFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His poetry and short fiction appears in numerous anthologies and journals, as well as in his own books of poetry and flash fiction: Cigarette Sonatas and little bones from Thoughtcrime Press (https://thoughtcrimepress.com/). His latest chapbook is Day of the New Windows.
The Ghost Town Poetry community respectfully encourages you to support Niche Wine Bar, whose owner, Leah Jackson, provided a home for the reading series from 2015-2020. Stop by their new location at 900 Washington, Suite 130 Vancouver, WA 98660: https://nichewinebar.com.
UPDATED Statement on Healthy Spaces from Art at the Cave: We want to provide a healthy space to enjoy art. We have been practicing safety precautions such as regular cleaning, social distancing and mask wearing. As a result of the removal of the mask mandate effective March 12, 2022, we will no longer require the wearing of masks. We encourage you to continue to wear a mask if it makes you feel more comfortable, and we will supply masks and hand sanitizer at the door. As social distancing has become a norm, please be mindful some will still need a bit of personal space while inside the gallery.
Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic
Featuring A. Molotkov
Hosted by Christopher Luna and Morgan Paige
7 pm
Thursday, June 8
Art at the Cave
108 E Evergreen Blvd
Vancouver, WA 98660
LGBTQ+ FRIENDLY, PRO-SCIENCE, ANTI-FASCIST, PRO-CHOICE,
ALL AGES, AND UNCENSORED SINCE 2004
$5 Suggested donation
Donations can be made in person or through Christopher Luna’s PayPal account (christopherjluna@gmail.com). Include a memo stating that the money is for Ghost Town Poetry. The suggested donation is five dollars.
A. Molotkov is an immigrant writer. His poetry collections are The Catalog of Broken Things, Application of Shadows, Synonyms for Silence and Future Symptoms. His novel A Slight Curve and his memoir A Broken Russia Inside Me are forthcoming; he co-edits The Inflectionist Review. His collection of ten short stories, Interventions in Blood, is part of Hawaii Review Issue 91; his prose is represented by Laura Strachan at Strachan Lit. Please visit him at AMolotkov.com
The Ghost Town Poetry community respectfully encourages you to support Niche Wine Bar, whose owner, Leah Jackson, provided a home for the reading series from 2015-2020. Stop by their new location at 900 Washington, Suite 130 Vancouver, WA 98660: https://nichewinebar.com.
UPDATED Statement on Healthy Spaces from Art at the Cave: We want to provide a healthy space to enjoy art. We have been practicing safety precautions such as regular cleaning, social distancing and mask wearing. As a result of the removal of the mask mandate effective March 12, 2022, we will no longer require the wearing of masks. We encourage you to continue to wear a mask if it makes you feel more comfortable, and we will supply masks and hand sanitizer at the door. As social distancing has become a norm, please be mindful some will still need a bit of personal space while inside the gallery.
Featuring Joanne Renee Boswell
Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic
Featuring Joanne Renee Boswell
Hosted by Christopher Luna and Morgan Paige
7 pm
Thursday, May 11
Art at the Cave
108 E Evergreen Blvd
Vancouver, WA 98660
LGBTQ+ FRIENDLY, PRO-SCIENCE, ANTI-FASCIST, PRO-CHOICE,
ALL AGES, AND UNCENSORED SINCE 2004
$5 Suggested donation
Donations can be made in person or through Christopher Luna’s PayPal account (christopherjluna@gmail.com). Include a memo stating that the money is for Ghost Town Poetry. The suggested donation is five dollars.
Joann Renee Boswell is a poet, photographer, teacher, director, mystic, mother who lives in Camas, WA with her husband (a Quaker minister) and her three young children. You can call her Jo, Jojo, Jomama, or Smookles Renee. Joann’s first book, Cosmic Pockets (Fernwood Press, 2020), is a full-length collection of poetry and photography. Her chapbook, breath so hungry, is a love letter. Her second full-length collection is a coloring poetry book in collaboration with two illustrators, called Meta-Verse, out any day. Joann loves rainy days filled with coffee, contradictions, dystopian fiction, justice, handholding, forest bathing, hope, and sci-fi shows. She was her high school mascot and spent a summer working at a lumber mill. Her super power might be whimsy. Joann has been a poetry editor for Untold Volumes and VoiceCatcher. She has been published in places such as CIRQUE, otoliths, VoiceCatcher, Tiny Seed Literary Journal, Not a Pipe Publishing, and Soul Forte. You can read more at joannrenee.com
The Ghost Town Poetry community respectfully encourages you to support Niche Wine Bar, whose owner, Leah Jackson, provided a home for the reading series from 2015-2020. Stop by their new location at 900 Washington, Suite 130 Vancouver, WA 98660: https://nichewinebar.com.
UPDATED Statement on Healthy Spaces from Art at the Cave: We want to provide a healthy space to enjoy art. We have been practicing safety precautions such as regular cleaning, social distancing and mask wearing. As a result of the removal of the mask mandate effective March 12, 2022, we will no longer require the wearing of masks. We encourage you to continue to wear a mask if it makes you feel more comfortable, and we will supply masks and hand sanitizer at the door. As social distancing has become a norm, please be mindful some will still need a bit of personal space while inside the gallery.
PRINTED MATTER VANCOUVER 