Photos and Poems from The Poetics of Place at Plas Newydd Farm in Ridgefield, WA March 25, 2023

I am so grateful to Abby Braithwaite for collaborating with me on The Poetics of Place, a day-long experiential workshop for poets looking to connect with the earth. Abby has many exciting ideas in the works for how to use the beautiful Plas Newydd Farm as a site for other arts events and workshops. Learn more about the Plas Newydd Arts Initiative.

Here is the schedule for the day’s activities:

Poetics of Place

Mindful Exploration as Poetics Practice with Abby Braithwaite and Christopher Luna

March 25, 2023

10:00-11:00:                      Introductions

                                                Abby leads the group on a short walk during which she will share a short history of the farm.

EXERCISE: As we walk, find three objects and place them in your pocket or bag.

                                                Find a comfortable place to sit. Look out (in front of you) for five minutes.

                                                Then look down for five minutes.

                                                Finally, look up for five minutes.

                                                As you complete these three steps, notice what you notice.

                                                When you have completed all three steps, begin to write.

                                                Return to the house.

11:00-11:15:                       Free write.

11:15-12:00:                       Lunch.

12:00-12:45:                      Jack Collom’s “Things to Save” Exercise.

12:45-3:00pm:                  Sharing and discussing our poems. 

Christopher reads the schedule for the day as we prepare to begin our walk (photo by Jennifer Pratt-Walter)
Making our way (by Jennifer Pratt-Walter)
Photo by Jennifer Pratt-Walter
The river by Abby Braithwaite
Smelt by Abby Braithwaite
Smelt plus Roxanne’s boots
Christopher explains the dharma art exercise (Photo by Abby Braithwaite)
Looking forward for five minutes
Roxanne looking
Writers at the table
Christopher speaks to the writers (Photo by Abby Braithwaite)
Wordsworth’s Daffodils in the Windowsill by Abby Braithwaite
Christopher’s objects
Jennifer’s objects
Jennifer’s writing (Photo by Jennifer)

Save These Things Forever     

Save the smallest wild things, the overlooked

ordinary things—earthworms, baby birds, moss, deep soil.

Hold safe the green-brown smell of the woods

in spring and fall.  Save all the sequoias.

Keep safe the salamanders in the tiny stream that leaks from

the hillside by my childhood home, save their eggs,

silent as pebbles.

Enfold with safety the magic lanterns of fireflies,

save the Aurora Borealis and how my feet sound

sweeping through dry leaves in autumn.

Keep forever the voices of those beloved to me—

save all the unspoken love that overflows the

bucket of my heart.

Save always the sharp awe that envelops me when

in the presence of the still and untamed beings that have been

my true saviors for all my days.

Jennifer Pratt-Walter 3/25/2023

Place

By Gail Alexander

I hear the voices of the land today

Like a pencil sharpened in silence

Unveiled in the whispers of wind 

and the golden veined lace of your composition

Across the forest floor.

“ Where will you be Nana when you die?”

Lichen and the green of moss cling to branches.

I stand looking down into the soft clear trickle of flow.

I raise my hands and call

back to ancestors on the shoreline“ hayu masi “.

“ There in the stream is where I’ll be Owen. Can you see the bones of the boughs?

That’s where I’ll be. Someday our bones will lay

Beside each other in the clear

Water where eagles

Fly above. Waiting_”

I’m awake now

In my bed of twigs red and leaves of cottonwood and ash.

On the hillside to the north, branches

Drape like curtains and have

Opened to the light.

I want to go.

Little birds are singing 

And from a single 

cell of lichen

Lies a forest.

What happens during The Work poetry writing workshop? Information for newcomers

Excited to try your hand at a generative writing workshop but feeling a bit nervous about what to expect? The following is excerpted from a recent email response I sent to a writer who enquired about what they might expect from The Work poetry writing workshop:

My workshops tend to attract 4-6 poets per session. We sometimes begin by hearing one poem from those who care to share one. I do this because poetry is an oral tradition, and because hearing a few poems before we begin can help put us in the right frame of mind to begin creating something from nothing.

We then spend the next hour or so engaged in three separate timed writing exercises. I send out handouts with example poems that will be used during the writing period. Beside or beneath each poem is a series of writing prompts inspired by the poem. Each prompt has some relationship to either the content, style, or technique found in the example. I provide more than one prompt because I realize that not everyone will relate to or be interested in each one. 

I like to give people options, and to send them away with writing prompts for a rainy day. Many writers tell me that they sometimes have trouble maintaining their writing practice when they are not in the workshop. If you hold on to the handouts, you will begin to acquire a collection of prompts for those times when you may want to write yet feel uninspired. 

You also always have the option of freewriting something based on whatever struck you in the poem. 

The last hour of the workshop is spent hearing at least one poem from each writer, then sharing constructive feedback on their drafts. Because all of the poems we are discussing are first drafts, this is not a hard critique. You do not need to have any particular skills or educational background to participate. I simply ask each poet to respond as a reader and a human being, in order to let each writer know what she has accomplished so far, how/what the poem is communicating, and a few ideas for what might be done in the future should the writer choose to revise the piece.

Looking to follow your bliss in 2023? Take a poetry or memoir writing workshop with Christopher Luna.

Have a friend who might benefit from a creative writing workshop? Purchase one for them for the holidays.

I lead creative writing workshops and classes year-round. I am also accepting new coaching clients and manuscripts for editing. If you are looking for writing coaching, editing/manuscript review, or information about poetry and memoir classes, send me an email via printedmattervancouver@gmail.com.

You can read all about it on the Printed Matter Vancouver website:

Christopher Luna’s 2023 Creative Writing Workshops

Looking to follow your bliss in 2023? Take a poetry or memoir writing workshop with Christopher Luna.

Have a friend who might benefit from a creative writing workshop? Purchase one for them for the holidays.

Christopher Luna leads creative writing workshops and classes year-round. He is also accepting new coaching clients and manuscripts for editing. 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.

Collage by Christopher Luna

You can read all about it on the Creative Writing workshops page of this website:

The Work Poetry Workshop Continues on Zoom Spring/Summer 2021

Collage by Christopher Luna

Join us on the second and fourth Monday of every month for The Work.

MONDAY NIGHT EDITION

The Monday Night Edition of The Work takes place 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 again in person.


Upcoming Monday night workshops will take place on April 12 & 26, May 10 & 24, June 14 & 28, July 12, August 9 & 23. There will be no workshop on July 26.

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.

The cost for the workshop is a suggested donation of $20 to Christopher Luna’s PayPal account: christopherjluna@gmail.com“

Suggested” means that we would like for you to join us regardless of whether or not you can afford it right now. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

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

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.

Collage by Christopher Luna

SATURDAY NIGHT EDITION

The Work also takes place from 11:30 am – 2:00 pm on the second Saturday of every month, unless otherwise noted. Upcoming Saturday afternoon workshops will take place on April 10, May 8, June 12, July 10, and August 14.

These workshops will take place on Zoom until it is safe to do so again in person.


Christopher Luna encourages you to support Niche Wine Bar, which has provided a home for his poetry and memoir workshops, Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic, and other events for many years. Niche is currently open for both dine-in and takeout service: https://nichewinebar.com

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.

Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic Featuring Jonathan Oak at Angst Gallery on October 10, 2019

Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic flyer October 10 2019

Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic
Hosted by Christopher Luna and Toni Lumbrazo Luna of Printed Matter Vancouver
Featuring Jonathan Oak

7 pm
Thursday, October 10
Open mic sign up begins at 6:30 and closes at 7

$5 Suggested donation (for featured poet)

Angst Gallery
1015 Main Street
Vancouver, WA 98660

Food and libation provided by Niche Wine Bar, 1013 Main Street
Sound provided by Briz Loan & Guitar
LGBTQ+ FRIENDLY, ALL AGES, AND UNCENSORED SINCE 2004

Jonathan Oak is the author of two poetry books, Sutly fucked ↑ and Things I Forgot To Say, as well as the upcoming novel Jerry. He has lived and performed in Portland for the last six years. He was part of the VAMP reading series in San Diego and a fixture in the Phoenix poetry and music scene. He was on three Slam Nationals teams, hosted a poetry radio show, worked underground theater in San Francisco, and ran writing workshops for 15 years.

Christopher Luna’s Fall 2019 Creative Writing Workshops [UPDATED 8/24/19]

Christopher Luna will lead a series of classes and workshops this Fall. Most of these occur year-round. The best way to stay up-to-date on his activities is to sign up to receive The Work, a monthly newsletter for poets in Portland and Southwest Washington: printedmattervancouver@gmail.com

christopher by alisha jucevic
Christopher Luna in his office/studio, photographed by Alisha Jucevic for the Columbian

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, GHOST TOWN, USA and The Flame Is Ours: The Letters of Stan Brakhage and Michael McClure 1961-1978.

According to Rae Latham, a writer in Christopher’s Monday morning poetry writing class at Multnomah Arts Center, “Christopher is the poetry alchemist who helps us discover gold.”

POETRY WRITING

Poetry Writing at Multnomah Arts Center

MAC_logo_withTransparency

Poetry as a means of expression, exploration, and experience is available to everyone. Write poetry in response to prompts and read a variety of published poems that you can use as inspiration. Read and respond to one another’s work in this supportive setting, paying close attention to revision.

Mondays from 10am – 12:30pm: This class is full. 

https://apm.activecommunities.com/portlandparks/Activity_Search/lit-arts-poetry-writing/116363

September 30 to December 2

Except:
Monday, November 11

OR

Mondays from 1:00 – 3:30 pm: Seats still available as of 8/24/19.

https://apm.activecommunities.com/portlandparks/Activity_Search/lit-arts-poetry-writing/116364

September 30 to December 2

Except:
Mon, November 11

MEMOIR WRITING

Clark College
1933 Fort Vancouver Way
Vancouver, WA 98663
Anna Pechanec Hall
Room 114

Memoir Writing at Clark College, Tuesdays from 1:00 – 3:20 pm September 24 – November 26: Everyone has a story to tell. Each person’s life is filled with adventure, mystery, trouble, and triumph. Memoir is a powerful way to demonstrate the interconnectedness of all human beings. See yourself as a part of history, documenting the story of your life.

For more information or to register, visit:

https://ecd.clark.edu/classes/class.php?SKU=9613

WRITING YOUR LIFE STORY

Oct 3 – Nov 21

Angst Gallery
1015 Main Street
Vancouver, WA 98660

Christopher is also offering an eight-week workshop/writers group called Writing Your Life Story at Angst Gallery on Thursdays from 10:30am – 1:00pm, October 3 through November 21.

Document your memories for your family or for possible future publication. Complete short timed writings as well as weekly take-home assignments. Give and receive feedback in a safe, informal environment. Christopher will introduce the participants to the techniques of creative nonfiction storytelling which uses the content of one’s life as the foundation for narrative. He will introduce current examples in popular nonfiction and memoir to assist the process. Participants will be encouraged to share their writing in a safe environment (no one will be required to share their stories) with the option of receiving feedback from the facilitator and other students. We will work to achieve the following goals:

1) learn the key elements of successful storytelling in written form,
2) create a living document for yourself, your family, or others,
3) delve into or build upon your written skills.

Bring your ideas, notes, paper, and pen/pencil (no books required).

Open to all skill levels. The class will be limited to ten (10) participants.

Cost: $225 (cash, check, card)

REGISTER AT ANGST on Wednesdays from noon til four OR email printedmattervancouver@gmail.com to set up a time to register.

THE WORK

The Work 2017 Make Poetry Your Life

Christopher also facilitates a poetry writing workshop known as The Work, from 11:30-2:00 on the second Saturday of the month (unless otherwise noted) at Niche Wine Bar (1013 Main Street, next door to Angst Gallery and the Kiggins Theatre). Doors open at 11:15 so that you can purchase coffee, tea, and other non-alcoholic beverages from Niche and grab a snack. The workshop begins at 11:30.

“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)

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 lead to healing, personal growth, and an interest in fighting for progressive social change.

We will read and discuss poetry, and write several new poems together. Each workshop will feature at least three timed writing exercises.

$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.

Upcoming 2019 Saturday afternoon workshops will take place on October 12, November 16, and December 14.

There is also a Monday evening version of the workshop that takes place on the second and fourth Monday of the month (unless otherwise noted) at Angst Gallery (1015 Main Street).

Upcoming 2019 Monday evening workshops will take place on October 28, November 25, and December 9.

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.

Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic Featuring Reggie Marra September 13 / Narrative Healing Workshop September 14

Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic flyer September 13 2018 cropped

Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic

Hosted by Christopher Luna and Toni Partington of Printed Matter Vancouver

Featuring Reggie Marra, Connecticut Poet and author of Killing America: Our United States of Ignorance, Fear, Bigotry, Violence and Greed

7 pm

Thursday, September 13

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

FREE

Angst Gallery

1015 Main Street

Vancouver, WA 98660

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

Sound provided by Briz Loan & Guitar

LGBTQ+ FRIENDLY, ALL AGES, AND UNCENSORED SINCE 2004

head shot

Reggie Marra is the author of four books of poetry and four of nonfiction, including And Now, Still: Grave & Goofy Poems and Killing America: Our United States of Ignorance, Fear, Bigotry, Violence and Greed. He has conducted poetry-writing and adult development and healing workshops since 1997, including work with the NEA’s Poetry Out Loud program, the National Association for Poetry Therapy, the Connecticut Higher Order Thinking (HOT) Schools program, the Transformative Language Arts Network, Teleosis Institute, the Arts Alliance of Northern New Hampshire, HealingNewtown, the National Speakers Association and in schools throughout the northeastern United States. Reggie is an Integral Master Coach,™ a Voice Dialogue practitioner through Bridgit Dengel Gaspard, and Nature Based Soulcraft® practitioner, through Bill Plotkin and Animas Valley Institute. Prior to 1997 he spent 21 years as a teacher, basketball coach and administrator in secondary and higher education. Learn more at www.reggiemarra.com.

EARLY AUTUMN SOUTHWEST EVENING

The music stops.
The young women holding hands,
their tank tops, shorts, boots, long
flowing brown hair, and the young
man in a black tee, blue jeans and
boots to their right, capture a neon-
backlit American summer evening.
They run, semi-crouched, amid
food and beverage containers
strewn across the open space while
those behind them kneel, crawl,
crouch and cower along the fence,
unsure where the shooter is and
when the shooting will stop.
If ever.

From Killing America: Our United States of Ignorance, Fear, Bigotry, Violence and Greed.

Killing America Cover

Killing America: Our United States of Ignorance, Fear, Bigotry, Violence and Greed is Reggie Marra’s fourth book of poems. As with his This Open Eye: Seeing What We Do (2006), Marra unflinchingly sees, writes and shares with the reader verbal snapshots of his country’s late 20th- and early 21st-century culture of violence as it manifests at home and abroad. His poems both grieve slaughtered school children, unarmed black men, ambushed law enforcement officers, church-, concert- and movie-goers, military veterans and victims of American foreign policy violence in the Middle East, and indict the leaders who refuse to act amid, or implicitly condone, the ongoing slaughter.

ISBN: 978-0-9627828-8-6

135 pages | 6×9 paper

Cover Art: Whose Heaven? by Ray DiCapua Charcoal and ink on paper | 48” x 72” Copyright © 2003 by Ray DiCapua

Go to Amazon in September: https://www.amazon.com/Reggie-Marra/e/B00AECM6OM

Approximately 546 copies of this book will be sent to the September 2018 occupants of the United States Senate, House of Representatives, Supreme Court and White House. We’ll be raising money to do that: https://www. gofundme.com/poems-for- politicians-in-dc

Ongoing updates and poem excerpts at: https://killing-america.com/

Narrative Healing: Transcending the Illness Narrative Workshop with Reggie Marra

6:30 – 9:00pm

Friday, September 14

Angst Gallery

1015 Main Street

Vancouver, WA 98660

Cost: $35

RSVP to christopherjluna@gmail.com by Thursday, September 13

Narrative Healing: Transcending the Illness Narrative

“It is true that the mind is restless and difficult to control, but it can be conquered… through regular practice and detachment” (6.35)  – The Bhagavad Gita, c. 500-200 BCE.

The power of story to heal was understood 2,000 years ago. We now have over 30 years of research that confirms this philosophical, intuitive understanding. This workshop will engage you in your own narrative healing process, introduce the salient history, philosophy and research, and prepare you to write and revise your story from a salutogenic, rather than pathogenic, perspective. Deepen your abilities to embrace your own healing and nurture that of your clients, patients, students or loved ones. Find out: do you have your story – or does your story have you?

Whether you are navigating your own personal healing, coming to terms with the ongoing cultural and societal healing that is necessary to address American violence at home and abroad, or the larger global issues of pain and suffering, story matters. Your narrative impacts what you see, how you see and what you can do next. Join us on ….. for an experiential introduction to narrative healing.

How I Found Myself in Clark County: Discovering the Self Through Poems of Place with Christopher Luna at Clark County Historical Museum July 28, 2018

Clark County Stories
 
How I Found Myself in Clark County:
Discovering the Self Through Poems of Place
with Christopher Luna
1-2:30pm
 
Clark County Historical Museum
1511 Main St
Vancouver, Washington
98660-2945
(360) 993-5679
Please contact us to hold your seat! More info below.
 
In 2003, New Yorker Christopher Luna found himself on the other side of the country, uncertain how to navigate the strange new culture of the Pacific Northwest. He spent the next decade writing poems and observations of Vancouver, WA (a place he nicknamed Ghost Town, USA) and building the local literary community through the popular Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic.
 
Join Luna, the first Poet Laureate of Clark County (2013-2017) in a discussion about making peace with unfamiliar surroundings and the power of writing poems of place. This 90-minute workshop will include a short writing exercise as well as ideas for writing poetry that begins where you are.

Christopher looking sideways at Julian Nelson December 2016
Christopher Luna by Julian Nelson

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 Partington) 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.
 
This event is FREE for everyone. Please register for this workshop at 360-993-5679 or by email at events@cchmuseum.org (include your name, phone number, and how many in your group).
 
Sponsored by: Clark County Historical Museum, Fort Vancouver Regional Library District, Humanities Washington “Washington Stories” Grant, Peabody’s College of Arts and Sciences Meyer Distinguished Professor Fellowship, Washington State University Vancouver, and Washington State University History Department’s Pettyjohn Fund.
 
 

Christopher Luna’s Summer 2018 Creative Writing Classes [UPDATED JUNE 1]

Follow your bliss this Summer. Take a writing workshop with Christopher Luna.

Christopher has an MFA in Writing and Poetics from the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics, where he received training in literary community outreach from Jack Collom, and two decades of teaching experience. He served as the Poet Laureate of Clark County, WA from 2013-2017. In 2004 he founded the popular Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic, which he co-hosts with his wife Toni Partington. Christopher and Toni co-founded Printed Matter Vancouver, which publishes local poetry and provides coaching and editing services to Northwest writers.

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.”

Christopher at Multnomah Falls by Toni BW
Christopher Luna photographed by Toni Partington

Below you will find several creative writing workshops throughout the region sponsored by Multnomah Arts Center, Clark College, Niche Wine Bar, and Angst Gallery. Hope you can join us.

Contact printedmattervancouver@gmail.com or christopherjluna@gmail.com for more information.

Multnomah Arts Center

MAC_logo_withTransparency

Catalog:

http://www.multnomahartscenter.org/classes/summer2018/macSummer18_colorWeb.pdf

Registration Open Now

Poetry Writing1089264

June 18 to August 20, 2018

Each Mon 10am to 12:30pm

Multnomah Arts Center Room 08

Poetry as a means of expression, exploration, and experience is available to everyone. Write poetry in response to prompts and read a variety of published poems that you can use as inspiration. Read and respond to one another’s work in this supportive setting, paying close attention to revision.

https://apm.activecommunities.com/portlandparks/Activity_Search/lit-arts-poetry-writing/91167

Price: $249.00     Ages: 16 and up

Poetry Writing for Teens1089486

June 18 to July 16, 2018

Mondays 1pm to 3:30pm

MAC – Room 08

Price:   $124.00

Ages:   At least 13 but less than 20

Poetry as a means of expression, exploration, and experience is available to everyone. Write poetry in response to prompts and read a variety of published poems that you can use as inspiration. Read and respond to one another’s work in this supportive setting, paying close attention to revision.

https://apm.activecommunities.com/portlandparks/Activity_Search/lit-arts-poetry-writing-for-teens/91389

Poetry Writing for Teens1089496

July 23 to August 20, 2018

Mondays 1pm to 3:30pm

Location: Multnomah Arts Center

Facility: MAC – Room 08

Price:   $124.00

Ages:   At least 13 but less than 20

https://apm.activecommunities.com/portlandparks/Activity_Search/91399

Clark College

Mature Learning

Registration Open Now

Summer 2018 Class Schedule

Memoir Writing

https://ecd.clark.edu/classes/class.php?SKU=9412

Everyone has a story to tell. Each person’s life is filled with adventure, mystery, trouble, and triumph. Memoir is a powerful way to demonstrate the interconnectedness of all human beings. This course will empower you to begin to see yourself as a part of history, and to discover the value in documenting the story of your life.

Item #: 9412

Thursdays 7/12 – 8/23/2018

1:00PM- 3:20PM

$159

Room CCE 208

Downtown Campus

500 Broadway Street, Suite 200

Vancouver, WA 98660

Metered Parking: $ 0.50/hr

IMG_20161117_142653483_HDR
Memoir writer Susan Starkey’s army jacket covered in pins from her years on the front lines of the battle for civil rights, the anti-war movement, and the gay rights movement

Continuing Education

Poetry Matters: Writing Poetry

https://ecd.clark.edu/classes/class.php?SKU=K013

Beginners and experienced writers alike will generate new works and discuss the poet’s role in the community. Read, listen to, and write poetry together in a supportive class focused on providing gentle, constructive feedback. Discuss how to construct a manuscript and ready it for publication. Writers of all experience levels are welcome. Bring paper and pen or laptop. Ages 16 and over.

Item #: K013

Tuesdays 7/10 – 8/7/2018

1:00PM- 3:30PM

$139

CCE 208

Downtown Campus

500 Broadway Street, Suite 200

Vancouver, WA 98660

Metered Parking: $ 0.50/hr

Niche Wine Bar

The Work Poetry Writing Workshop

Saturday Afternoon Edition

The Work 2017 Make Poetry Your Life

https://www.facebook.com/events/1021578504658289/

Join us on Saturday, June 9 for The Work, a monthly poetry writing workshop at Niche Wine Bar led by former Clark County Poet Laureate (2013-2017) Christopher Luna.

Christopher is completely convinced of poetry’s ability to encourage empathy and compassion, and to spark the shifts in consciousness which can lead to healing, personal growth, and an interest in fighting for progressive social change. He would love to share his passion for poetry with you.

We will read and discuss poetry, and write several new poems together from 11:30 until 2:30.

Niche is located at 1013 Main Street, right next door to The Kiggins Theatre, Vancouver’s landmark movie house in the Vancouver Arts District.

$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.

Note: The Work Saturday Afternoon Edition will take place on the second Saturday of each month, unless otherwise noted. Upcoming Saturday workshops will take place on July 14 and August 11.

Angst Gallery

The Work Poetry Writing Workshop

Monday Evening Edition

https://www.facebook.com/events/1014332872053833/

Join us on Monday, May 28 for The Work, a monthly poetry writing workshop at Angst Gallery led by former Clark County Poet Laureate (2013-2017) Christopher Luna.

We will read and discuss poetry, and write several new poems together from 6:00 until 8:30.

Angst Gallery is located at 1015 Main Street, two doors down from The Kiggins Theatre, Vancouver’s landmark movie house in the Vancouver Arts District.

$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.

Note: The Monday evening edition of the Work will take place at Angst Gallery on the last Monday evening of each month, unless otherwise noted. Upcoming Monday workshops will take place on the following dates: June 25 and July 30.

Christopher Luna’s Spring 2018 Creative Writing Workshops [LINKS UPDATED MARCH 6]

Christopher Luna’s Creative Writing Classes Spring 2018

Christopher looking sideways at Julian Nelson December 2016
Christopher Luna photographed by Julian Nelson

Follow your bliss this Spring. Take a writing workshop with Christopher Luna. Christopher has an MFA in Writing and Poetics from the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics, where he received training in literary community outreach from Jack Collom, and two decades of teaching experience. He served as the Poet Laureate of Clark County, WA from 2013-2017. In 2004 he founded the popular Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic, which he co-hosts with his wife Toni Partington. Christopher and Toni co-founded Printed Matter Vancouver, which publishes local poetry and provides coaching and editing services to Northwest writers.

Below you will find several creative writing workshops throughout the region sponsored by Clark College, Multnomah Arts Center, Niche Wine Bar, Angst Gallery, and High End Market Place. Hope you can join us.

Contact printedmattervancouver@gmail.com or christopherjluna@gmail.com for more information.

Clark College

Downtown Campus

500 Broadway Street, Suite 200

Vancouver, WA 98660

Registration Opens on Monday, March 5

Memoir Writing

Everyone has a story to tell. Each person’s life is filled with adventure, mystery, trouble, and triumph. Memoir is a powerful way to demonstrate the interconnectedness of all human beings. This course will empower you to begin to see yourself as a part of history, and to discover the value in documenting the story of your life.

Tuesdays

Register here

ITEM #: 9456

TIME: 01:00pm – 03:20pm (T)

DATE: 4/10/2018- 6/12/2018

FEE: $215

LOCATION: CCE 208

Thursdays

Register here

ITEM #: 9457

TIME: 01:00pm – 03:20pm (Th)

DATE: 4/12/2018- 6/14/2018Th

FEE: $215

LOCATION: CCE 208

Poetry Matters: Writing Poetry

Beginners and experienced writers alike will generate new works and discuss the poet’s role in the community. Read, listen to, and write poetry together in a supportive class focused on providing gentle, constructive feedback. Discuss how to construct a manuscript and ready it for publication. Writers of all experience levels are welcome. Bring paper and pen or laptop. Ages 16 and over. No class on 04/28.

Register here

ITEM #: R074

TIME: 10:00AM – 1:00PM

DATES: 4/21/2018- 5/5/2018 (Saturday)

FEE: $59

LOCATION: CCE 208

Multnomah Arts Center

7688 SW Capitol Hwy 

Portland, OR 97219

MAC_logo_withTransparency

Poetry Writing   

Poetry as a means of expression, exploration, and experience is available to everyone. Write poetry in response to prompts and read a variety of published poems that you can use as inspiration. Read and respond to one another’s work in this supportive setting, paying close attention to revision. Ages 16 & Up.

Mondays 10 am – 12:30 pm

April 2 – June 4 [10 classes]

$249

Register online https://apm.activecommunities.com/portlandparks, in person, or by phone at 503-823-2787.

Niche Wine Bar

1013 Main Street

Vancouver, WA 98660

Niche logo

The Work: Saturday Afternoon Edition

Join us on Saturday, March 10 for The Work, a monthly poetry writing workshop at Niche Wine Bar led by former Clark County Poet Laureate (2013-2017) Christopher Luna.

Christopher is completely convinced of poetry’s ability to encourage empathy and compassion, and to spark the shifts in consciousness which can lead to healing, personal growth, and an interest in fighting for progressive social change. He would love to share his passion for poetry with you.

We will read and discuss poetry, and write several new poems together from 11:30 until 2:30.

$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.

Niche is located at 1013 Main Street, right next door to The Kiggins Theatre, Vancouver’s landmark movie house in the Vancouver Arts District.

The Work ART 4 ART 2016

https://www.facebook.com/events/546530135717292/

Note: The Work Saturday Edition will take place on the second Saturday of each month, unless otherwise noted. Upcoming workshops will take place on the following dates: April 14, May 12, and June 9.

Angst Gallery

1015 Main Street

Vancouver, WA 98660

The Work: Monday Evening Edition

Join us on Monday, March 26 for The Work, a monthly poetry writing workshop at Angst Gallery led by former Clark County Poet Laureate (2013-2017) Christopher Luna.

We will read and discuss poetry, and write several new poems together from 6:00 until 8:30.

$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. (Niche Wine Bar is currently closed on Mondays.)

The Work 2017 Stein

Angst Gallery is located at 1015 Main Street, two doors to the North of The Kiggins Theatre, Vancouver’s landmark movie house in the Vancouver Arts District.

Note: The Work will take place at Angst Gallery on the last Monday evening of each month, unless otherwise noted. Upcoming Monday workshops will take place on April 30, May 28, and June 25.

The Green House

1920 Broadway

Vancouver, WA 98663

Lifted Lit

Brought to you by Lifted Events

1-3pm

Saturday, March 24

The Green House

Lifted Lit with Christopher Luna

LIFTED Lit Writing class

Join us for a cannabis friendly and cannabis inspired poetry workshop with former Clark County Poet Laureate (2013-2017) Christopher Luna! Light snacks and coffee will be provided, but please BYOC. Must be 21+ to attend.

Register

A bit about Christopher Luna: Christopher spent his late teens and early twenties working in a head shop on Long Island. He believes that mindful use of marijuana can be a powerful tool for consciousness expansion. Christopher is completely turned on by poetry’s ability to encourage empathy and compassion, and to spark the shifts in consciousness which can lead a person to fight for progressive social change. He would love to share his passion for poetry with you.

Space is limited, so be sure to sign up today to #getLIFTED! Tickets are a $20 suggested donation. Online reservation is required to attend the class. No one will be turned away for lack of funds, but please pre-register as this is a private event.

21+, non-refundable/non-transferable. If attendance requirements are not met the class will be canceled 24 hours before the class begins. Tickets will be refunded at that time.

BYOC

Valid Photo ID is required for entrance to the event.