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.
Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic Featuring A Book Launch for Christopher Luna’s first full-length volume of poetry Message from the Vessel in a Dream (Flowstone Press)
Note: Due to the venue’s concerns about limited seating, the evening will be split into two sessions. Christopher will deliver two readings–at approximately 8pm and 9:30pm. To accommodate as many people as possible, he will also be available to sign copies of the book from 5-6pm. There will be eight open mic slots open for each half of the event, for a total of 16 open mic readers.
The book launch and open mic reading will be hosted by Printed Matter Vancouver co-founder Toni Lumbrazo Luna and Printed Matter Vancouver author Tiffany Burba (Meet Me Where I left You, 2016)
7 pm & 8:45 pm Thursday, December 13, 2018 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
Join us for the Portland Book Launch at Like Nobody’s Business on February 23.
Collage Art by Christopher Luna for Message from the Vessel in a Dream
Flowstone Press announces the release of Message from the Vessel in a Dream by Christopher Luna, Clark County, WA’s first poet laureate and the founder of Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic. Luna’s first full-length volume of poetry spans 20 years, and favors prose poetry and collage poems assembled and arranged using found materials. 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.
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.
Collage Art by Christopher Luna for Message from the Vessel in a Dream
Christopher Luna would like to thank all the people, living or dead, whose words provided material for the poems in this book. He would especially like to thank the poets and friends whose words (before, during, and after reading their work at the mic) offered such inspiration: Lynn Alexander, Jane Arnal, Elizabeth Austen, Brittany Baldwin, Roxanne Bash, Kristin Berger, Alex Birkett, Holly Black, Sari Breznau, Tiffany Burba, Barbara Lynn Cantone, J’Lyn Chapman, Sage Cohen, Darlene Costello, Walt Curtis, Leah Noble Davidson, Rene Denfeld, Natalie Diaz, Liz Donley, Josh Ehrdal, Matt Eiford, Terri Eliof, Eileen Elliott, Barbara Engel, Annette Ernst, Kathleen Flenniken, Michelle Fredette, Mike G (Michael Guimond), Rhonda Grace, Samuel Green, Jack Greene, Michelle Giuliano, Dean Haspiel, Miles Hewitt, Morgan Hutchinson, Vishal Khanna, Kevin Killian, Sabra Patricia Larsen, Rosemary Leary, Edee Lemonier, Robin Coste Lewis, Lori Loranger, Angelo Luna, Ben Scott Luna, Cathleen Luna, Dan Luna, Greg Luna, Jae Luna, Toni Lumbrazo Luna, Tod Marshall, Doug Marx, Alec Matthews, Dennis McBride, Marianela Medrano, Matt Meighan, David Meltzer (RIP), Kristopher Molina, Livia Montana, Judith Montgomery, Gwendolyn Morgan, Dan Nelson, Gwen Osborne, Aaron Pacora, Eric Padget, Jenney Pauer, David James Randolph, Dan Raphael, Yugen Rashad, Karen Read, Shelby Reece, Donna Roberge, Katharine Salzmann, Darcy Scholts, Laura Sciortino, Daniel Skach-Mills, Michael Smoler, Shawn Sorensen, Rob Sparks, Bill Sterr, John Stevens, Herb Stokes, Gary F. Suda, Grace Valentine, RicVrana (RIP), Julene Tripp Weaver, Paul Yates, and Lidia Yuknavitch.
Sample Poems
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
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
Intend to Attend
A beautiful chaos, this life. A world of pure potential. Tomorrow the discomfort index will be quite high. The weight of too many goddamn outbursts strung around my neck like an albatross. Ghost glimpsed at the periphery. Undefined blur caught by insufficient retina. Fractals behind the eyes. The moment’s gonna get you. Nurture it like a serpent to your breast. Like a neutron caterwaul. Moments away from a fatality. Skeleton falling apart. Filled with the seeds of all the troubles and blessings of existence, but also provided with the sustaining virtue, hope. Intend to attend. Herb Stokes.
A beautiful chaos, this life. Vishal Khanna.
A world of pure potential. Translated dialogue from the film Poetry, directed by Chang-dong Lee.
The weight of too many goddamn outbursts strung around my neck like an albatross. Leah Noble Davidson.
Fractals behind his eyes. Doug Marx.
The moment’s gonna get you. Wayne Shorter.
Like a neutron caterwaul. Katharine Salzmann.
Moments away from a fatality. Jae Luna.
His skeleton was falling apart. Daniel Skach-Mills.
Filled with the seeds of all the troubles and blessings of existence, but also provided with the sustaining virtue, hope. Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, p. 23.
This is a deeply personal business, and it demands respect Bruce Springsteen
This Professor Lorenz is a hypnotist as well as a horticulturalist. It’s a geography of the spirit for him. Writing this thing on communicating with the divine spirits. A million birds came to [the] window. . . Felt he was on the same beam, man, tuned in the same. Millions of birds, man. What they really pay you for is to be as present and alive as you can be. We create the illusion of stasis. You’ve got to destroy that mattress. It has to be rebirth on a nightly basis.
This Professor Lorenz is a hypnotist as well as a horticulturalist. Dialogue from The Corpse Vanishes, 1942.
It’s a geography of the spirit for him. Shelby Reece.
Writing this thing….millions of birds, man. Charles Mingus.
We create the illusion of stasis. Narration spoken by spoken Jake (David Mazouz), the brilliant troubled child in the 2012-2013 TV program Touch.
You’ve got to destroy that mattress. Dialogue spoken by Kirsty Cotton, the female protagonist played by Ashley Laurence in the 1988 horror film Hellbound: Hellraiser II.
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.
Tiffany Burba reads from Meet Me Where I Left You at Another Read Through Books in Portland, OR on February 23, 2017
It is more important than ever to support local, independently-owned bookstores. One of our personal favorites is Another Read Through at 3932 N. Mississippi Ave. in Portland. Owner Elisa Saphier is delightful, personable, and knowledgeable. She allows authors and publishers to hold readings and book launch events in her beautiful second-floor loft, and hosts regular events such as Lesbian Lit Book Group. A generous amount of shelf space is devoted to Northwest authors in all genres.
You can find Ghost Town Poetry volumes one and two, Tiffany Burba’s Meet Me Where I Left You, and Christopher Luna’s Pulitzer Remix chapbook Brutal Glints of Moonlight at Another Read Through.
Printed Matter Vancouver is grateful to Elisa for her service to the literary community, and for carrying our books at her bookstore. We are very proud to be associated with Another Read Through. Show your support by dropping by the store today!
The latest publication from Printed Matter Vancouver.
Hosted by Dan Raphael Thursday, May 18 at 7 PM – 8:30 PM
Backstory Books 6010 SE Foster Rd.
Portland, Oregon 97206
The latest publication from Printed Matter Vancouver.
Fo Po Poetry for May will feature Brittney Corrigan and Tiffany Burba. We also have spots for 6 open podium readers.
Brittney Corrigan is the author of the poetry collection Navigation (The Habit of Rainy Nights Press, 2012) and the chapbook 40 Weeks (Finishing Line Press, 2012). Her poems have appeared widely in journals and anthologies, and she is the poetry editor for the online journal Hyperlexia: poetry and prose about the autism spectrum. Brittney lives in Portland, Oregon, where she is both an alumna and employee of Reed College.
Tiffany Burba will be reading from Meet Me Where I Left You, her debut volume from Printed Matter Vancouver, at two readings in Portland in the coming months. Tiffany’s reading in March will also feature Printed Matter Vancouver Publisher/Editor Toni Partington. Please come out to support Tiffany and pick up a copy of her book.
Tiffany Burba, Leah Noble Davidson, and Lynn Knapp
MEET ME WHERE I LEFT YOU, the debut collection of poetry and short prose by Tiffany Burba, captures her real and imagined New York City adventures of love, lust, museums, jazz, food, and running in Central Park. She has an amazing love affair with the City and its inhabitants stretching from Brooklyn to Queens, the Bronx to Manhattan, and all points between. Living on whiskey kisses, a subway pass, and everything from pizza to soup dumplings, Burba fills and breaks her heart and ours along the way. Meet Me Where I Left You explores her arrivals and departures, her dreams of leaving Pacific Northwest forests for the taxi rides and street grime of New York City, her love of family and friends, and her unashamed quest for passion. (Published by Printed Matter Vancouver)
DOOR explores one of the oldest words in the human language in a way that only Leah Noble Davidson can do. Braking the word into four co-existing story lines, Davidson canvases the meaning of the word “door” through hard science, relationships, psychology, and dissected language itself. The book is not merely a collection of poems, but an experience in and of itself, wherein the reader falls through doors within doors at every turn. Built to be read over and over again, DOOR is riddled with quotes and inserts, footnotes, and hidden patterns that hold-up an oddly relatable and honest perspective of the world as we know it. (Published by University of Hell Press)
GIVING GROUND pulses with traffic and teems with life, leading us through tangled streets, intertwined lives. We find a place of overgrown gardens, alleys in bloom, pheasants in flight, rabbits, stray cats, and Spanish love songs, a place where the ordinary appears in an extraordinary light. With deft narrative strokes, Giving Ground reveals a place and its people, lives balanced on the shifting ground of language and culture. Like the place, Lynn Knapp’s poems are wry, real, and poignant. (Published by The Poetry Box®)
A monthly storytelling showcase about grief, loss and love. Gather in community with others who share grief in all forms and manifestations. Come ready to cry, laugh, listen and hold space for yourself and others. Trigger warning, because Grief. Content not edited for language or topic.
Doors open at 7pm, Readings begin at 7:30pm
Free admission! Full Bar!
Please consider bringing canned goods or cold weather clothing/blankets to donate to the Post 134 food & clothing pantry, which serves local veterans, homeless and anyone in need.
Meet Me Where I Left You is the latest book from Printed Matter Vancouver.
Meet Me Where I Left You, the debut collection of poetry and short prose by Tiffany Burba, captures her real and imagined New York City adventures of love, lust, museums, jazz, food, and running in Central Park. She has an amazing love affair with the City and its inhabitants stretching from Brooklyn to Queens, the Bronx to Manhattan, and all points between. Living on whiskey kisses, a subway pass, and everything from pizza to soup dumplings, Burba fills and breaks her heart and ours along the way. Meet Me Where I Left You explores her arrivals and departures, her dreams of leaving Pacific Northwest forests for the taxi rides and street grime of New York City, her love of family and friends, and her unashamed quest for passion. Please contact Printed Matter Vancouver to book Tiffany Burba for interviews and readings: printedmattervancouver@gmail.com.
Meet Me Where I Left You by Tiffany Burba
ISBN-13: 978-1535522502 / ISBN-10: 153552250X
Edited and Designed by Toni Lumbrazo Luna
Published By Printed Matter Vancouver
About the Author
Tiffany Burba reads her work at the launch for Poetry Moves, a Printed Matter Vancouver-sponsored program which placed poems by Burba and nine other Clark County, WA poets on C-Tran buses in 2016
Tiffany Burba is a poet and photographer who lives in the Pacific NW. She began writing in 2009 as a way to process a very painful relationship. She found that writing was the one way to express all emotions and be completely vulnerable while healing the pain of heartbreak. She is a photographer who likes to capture sunsets, sunflowers, and the New York skyline. She is a mother of two and a grandmother of one.
Tiffany is a massage therapist and Reiki practitioner who believes in the body’s ability to heal itself. She loves to dance, drink whiskey, and spend time with poets, musicians, and people who enjoy life.
Christopher Luna’s flyer for the official book launch for Meet Me Where I Left You
Advance Praise for Meet Me Where I Left You
Tommy Gaffney, author of Whiskey Days and Three Beers From Oblivion: Tiffany Burba is a generous storyteller cursed with a muse that won’t sit still. Her work is more than a simple love story or an homage, though. Her poems are as much a part of her being as perspiration or tears. In Meet Me Where I Left You, the love is real, the hurt is real, the longing, the sadness, the courage, all of it is real. Tangible. “Soup Dumplings” and “Recovery” speak loudest to me, though the exercise of picking favorites from this book is akin to picking favorite waves in the ocean.
Mike G., Portland poet/performer: In Meet Me Where I Left You, Tiffany Burba creates brave wordscapes of love broken, love restored, and dreams of New York. With vast humanity and invincible heart this collection does what great poetry always does: it heals us.
April Bullard, author of The Sock Thief and Goody Hepzibah’s Harvest Tales: The honest exposure of needs, desires, and relationships thrown against the bustling backdrop of The Big Apple grabbed my attention. Taste and walk your way through a birthday trip to New York City, through the eyes and heart of a fiercely passionate woman searching for a love that will join souls into one eternal, burning star. The raw energy and pure need revealed in the author’s unveiled prose will sting, searing a striving silhouette of hope between these pages.
