Photos from Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic Featuring Zia Pollis at Art At The Cave on April 11, 2024

Lightship Press authors and publishers at Ghost town Poetry Open Mic, Art At The Cave April 11, 2024.
Morgan Paige Poetry (Lick the Psychic), Christopher Luna (Voracity), Igor Brezhnev (publisher and book designer), Sam Preminger (Publisher and editor), Zia Pollis (Labors of Mercy).
Lightship Press: https://www.lightshippress.com/the-press
Morgan Paige, Lick the Psychic: https://www.lightshippress.com/books/p/lick-the-psychic
Christopher Luna, Voracity: https://www.lightshippress.com/books/p/voracity-by-christopher-luna
Igor Bjorn Brezhnev, nights since volumes 1-6: https://www.igorbrezhnev.com/
Sam Rose Preminger, Our Streets:
https://www.lightshippress.com/books/p/our-streets-by-sam-rose-preminger
Zia Pollis, Labors of Mercy: https://www.lightshippress.com/books/p/labors-of-mercy-by-zia-pollis
Zia Pollis reads from her Lightship Press chapbook Labors of Mercy
Lightship Press publisher Igor Brezhnev
Zia Pollis reads from Labors of Mercy

Ghost Town Poetry Featuring Ken Yoshikawa at Art At The Cave May 9, 2024

Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic
Featuring Ken Yoshikawa
Hosted by Christopher Luna and Morgan Paige

7 pm
Thursday, May 9

Art At The Cave
108 E Evergreen Blvd
Vancouver, WA 98660
https://artatthecave.com

ANTI-RACIST, 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.

Ken Yoshikawa likes to write plays and poems and do silly things onstage. Recently he played Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Portland Center Stage, and has had two plays commissioned in Portland, one of which, From a Hole in the Ground, is presently onstage with Corrib Theatre. His first full-length poetry book, Monster Colored Glasses, was published by Lightship Press, and is available to purchase at yoshikawaken.com! In his free time he enjoys video games, hanging with friends, trees, and working as an astrologer.

Igor Brezhnev and Sam Rose Preminger founded Lightship Press “to support living artists with an emphasis on poetry (as this is our field of expertise). This mission will be realized through publishing and promoting high-quality full-length books and chapbooks, recording spoken word performances, and producing community events where contributors can step into the public eye and market their work. Priority, both in who we publish and who we hire onto our team, will be given to authors intending to earn a portion of their income through their literary craft. Our motto is ‘Support Living Artists Cause the Dead Ones Don’t Need It.'”

Learn more at https://www.lightshippress.com/the-press

November 2024 is the twentieth anniversary of the founding of Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic. This year’s featured readers include Marialicia Gonzalez, Kevin Sampsell, Gay Garland Reed, William Erickson, Bruce Hall, Washington State Poet Laureate Arianne True, and Debra Elisa.

Send an email to printedmattervancouver@gmail.com to receive The Work, Christopher Luna’s monthly newsletter featuring news and events for poets in Vancouver, WA, Portland, OR and surrounding areas.

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.

Celebrate National Poetry Month with Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic Featuring Lightship Press Author Zia Pollis at Art At The Cave on April 11, 2024

Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic

Featuring Zia Pollis

Hosted by Christopher Luna and Morgan Paige

7 pm

Thursday, April 11

Art At The Cave

108 E Evergreen Blvd

Vancouver, WA 98660

https://artatthecave.com

ANTI-RACIST, LGBTQ+ FRIENDLY, PRO-SCIENCE, ANTI-FASCIST,

PRO-CHOICE, ALL AGES, AND UNCENSORED SINCE 2004

https://printedmattervancouver.com

$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.

Help us celebrate National Poetry Month with our special guest, Lightship Press author Zia Pollis, who is traveling from Massachusetts to be with us.

Zia Pollis is a poet and illustrator from Chamisal, New Mexico. She has a B.A. in English from Reed College and is a Master’s of Divinity student at the Harvard Divinity School. She has organized and participated in numerous poetry communities and festivals, including the Taos Verse Converse festival and the Society of the Muse of the Southwest (SOMOS). She also competed in the national youth poetry slam, Brave New Voices, and has been featured in MassPoetry’s U35 reading series. Her work has appeared in Nailed MagazineMassPoetry, Harvard Divinity Bulletin, Harvard Magazine, and others. 

Her chapbook Labors of Mercy was published by Lightship Press in 2023:

https://www.lightshippress.com/books/p/labors-of-mercy-by-zia-pollis

Igor Brezhnev and Sam Rose Preminger founded Lightship Press “to support living artists with an emphasis on poetry (as this is our field of expertise). This mission will be realized through publishing and promoting high-quality full-length books and chapbooks, recording spoken word performances, and producing community events where contributors can step into the public eye and market their work. Priority, both in who we publish and who we hire onto our team, will be given to authors intending to earn a portion of their income through their literary craft. Our motto is ‘Support Living Artists Cause the Dead Ones Don’t Need It.'” 

Learn more at https://www.lightshippress.com/the-press

November 2024 is the twentieth anniversary of the founding of Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic. This year’s featured readers include Ken Yoshikawa, Marialicia Gonzalez, Kevin Sampsell, Gay Garland Reed, William Erickson, Bruce Hall, Washington State Poet Laureate Arianne True, and Debra Elisa.

Send an email to printedmattervancouver@gmail.com to receive The Work, Christopher Luna’s monthly newsletter featuring news and events for poets in Vancouver, WA, Portland, OR and surrounding areas.

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 Anthology Volume Three Accepting Submissions through April 1, 2024

Graphic by Morgan Paige

As we prepare to celebrate 20 years of Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic in November, Printed Matter Vancouver and Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic emcees Morgan Paige, Christopher Luna, and Toni Lumbrazo Luna are collecting poems for our third anthology. If you have participated in the series, please send two poems that you have read at the open mic to printedmattervancouver@gmail.com for possible inclusion in the book. We are also looking for high-quality photos and brief descriptions of your most memorable experiences at the reading. Deadline is April 1.

Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic Featuring Vivian Sapphire at Art At The Cave

Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic

Featuring Vivian Sapphire

Hosted by Christopher Luna and Morgan Paige

7 pm

Thursday, March 14

Art At The Cave

108 E Evergreen Blvd

Vancouver, WA 98660

https://artatthecave.com

ANTI-RACIST, 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.

Vivian Sapphire is a poet, singer and actor from SW Washington. She is inspired by the stark beauty of life and death, and everything we do in-between. She has written two unpublished manuscripts and will probably finish a third before getting around to publishing the first two.

November 2024 is the twentieth anniversary of the founding of Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic. This year’s featured readers include Zia Pollis, Ken Yoshikawa, Marialicia Gonzalez, Kevin Sampsell, Gay Garland Reed, William Erickson, Bruce Hall, Washington State Poet Laureate Arianne True, and Debra Elisa.

Send an email to printedmattervancouver@gmail.com to receive The Work, Christopher Luna’s monthly newsletter featuring news and events for poets in Vancouver, WA, Portland, OR and surrounding areas.

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 Genevieve DeGuzman at Art At The Cave on February 8, 2024

Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic
Featuring Genevieve DeGuzman
Hosted by Christopher Luna and Morgan Paige

7 pm
Thursday, February 8

Art At The Cave
108 E Evergreen Blvd
Vancouver, WA 98660
https://artatthecave.com

ANTI-RACIST, LGBTQ+ FRIENDLY, PRO-SCIENCE, ANTI-FASCIST,
PRO-CHOICE, ALL AGES, AND UNCENSORED SINCE 2004

https://printedmattervancouver.com/

$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.

Genevieve DeGuzman was a 2022 Oregon Literary Fellow and has received fellowships and grants from the Oregon Arts Commission and Vermont Studio Center. As a poet, Genevieve won the Atticus Review contest and earned several Best New Poets nominations. Most recently, she was a finalist for the Black River Competition by Black Lawrence Press. Her work appears in The Adroit, Bear Review, Nimrod, RHINO, phoebe, and other journals. She lives in Portland, OR.

Learn more at https://genevievedeguzman.carbonmade.com/

This year’s featured readers include Bruce Parker & Diane Corson, Zia Pollis, Ken Yoshikawa, Marialicia Gonzalez, Kevin Sampsell, Gay Garland Reed, William Erickson, Bruce Hall, Washington State Poet Laureate Arianne True, and Debra Elisa.

Send an email to printedmattervancouver@gmail.com to receive The Work, Christopher Luna’s monthly newsletter featuring news and events for poets in Vancouver, WA, Portland, OR and surrounding areas.

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 Brianna Renae at Art At The Cave January 11, 2024

Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic

Featuring Brianna Renae

Hosted by Christopher Luna and Morgan Paige

7 pm

Thursday, January 11

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

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.

Brianna Renae is a spoken word poet & public speaker born and raised in Portland Oregon. She is the author of her debut poetry collection Her Way with Words and the founder of The People’s Poets which is a BIPOC open mic created to amplify marginalized voices. She had the pleasure of opening for bestselling author Rupi Kaur in 2022. This year Brianna Renae was crowned Portland Poetry Slam’s 2023 Grand Slam Champion. She writes in hopes to inspire people to recognize the power in their stories.

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 Joshua Bauscher at Art At The Cave on December 14, 2023

Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic

Featuring Joshua Bauscher

Hosted by Christopher Luna and Morgan Paige

7 pm

Thursday, December 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

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.

Joshua Bauscher is a poet, photographer, adventurer, digital artist, herbalist, wizard, lyricist, and organizer. He is also the author of four self-published poetry collections, former coach of the SUNY Geneseo Slam Poetry Team, and a Nitty Gritty Slam, Albany Regional Poetry Slam, and Slamlandia Champion. Joshua is on a self-appointed quest to release all fear and limiting beliefs, to come into alignment with Love and higher self, and to help humanity rise to our full and unhindered potential.

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 Marc Janssen at Art At The Cave on November 9, 2023

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

https://artatthecave.com

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 PinyonSlantCirque JournalOff 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 at Art At The Cave October 12, 2023

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

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.

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.