The Oneness, the Usness
Cento: Ani DiFranco
How do you keep your joie de vivre?
Leave the house.
flux is our natural state
as human beings
when we are free
you are consciousness
you are light
you are spirit
revolutionary love
if you don’t participate in democracy, it dissipates
thwart all labels
jump out of every box
stay curious
life itself is humbling
there’s always more to know
and its so exciting
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| The Work Poetry Workshop led by Christopher Luna |
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| 23 by Christopher Luna |
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| I'LL LET YOU OUT WHEN YOU KNOW HOW TO BE DECENT |
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| Longing and Joy Each in Measure |
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| The Work Poetry Workshop Featuring Sappho and Sanders The Work poetry workshop by Christopher Luna takes place from 2-5 on the second Saturday of the month at Birdhouse Books (1001 Main Street basement Vancouver, WA 98660). We also meet from 9-12 on the fourth Saturday of every month. There is also a Monday evening version of the workshop that takes place on Zoom on the second and fourth Monday of the month. Send me an email if you would like to receive an invitation. You can learn about all of my workshops through the end of this year on the Creative Writing Workshops page of the Printed Matter Vancouver website: https://printedmattervancouver.com/creative-writing-workshops/ If you are looking for writing coaching, editing/manuscript review, or information about my poetry and memoir classes, send me an email at printedmattervancouver@gmail.com or visit printedmattervancouver.com. |
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| beautiful beguiling wonders |
I really enjoyed Mysterious Mushroom: Amanita Muscaria in History, Medicine, & More, a free talk with Psychedelic Historian and Educator Tom Hatsis. The entertaining and informative talk took place at Psanctum Thrift, 4033 SE Milwaukie Ave. Portland, OR 97202.
Here are some photos from the event, as well as a poem inspired by my experience.
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| I purchased a copy of Tom's book Microdosing Magic: A Psychedelic Spellbook, pictured here with some items from his collection of historical and educational materials. |
There Was Union
Notes from Mysterious
Mushrooms: Amanita Muscaria in History, Medicine, & More
a free talk with Psychedelic
Historian and Educator Tom Hatsis
Psanctum Thrift, Portland
December 7, 2023
holographic
maximalist
rocking
torn legging
farsighted
nearsighted
a
state of mind
ramped
up rambunctiousness
in
the random shit nook
sheepish
seekers
with
tentative glances
furtive
smiles
settle
in
ready
to absorb
check for the veil
check for the bulb
Tom
offers tips for
foraging
and preparation
dispels
myths
no
Viking Berzerkers
no
connection to Santa Claus
the visionary potential
of the amanita muscaria
the mushrooms bring
the other world to me
I’m not tripping
the room is tripping
witchcraft
ritual is key
Tom
reads from his magical journal:
all three goddesses showed up
spontaneously absorbed all three
and eventually found himself
on the ground
humping the air
shining from the inside
beautified by all of them
I think I was throat signing
deep guttural purging
[of] negative thoughts
must change that to ascend
amanita is a
heart-opening medicine
you really have to
form a relationship
with the amanita muscaria
then start
very slowly
she will
sing to you
According to their website, "Psanctum is a nonprofit psychedelics research, education, and harm reduction organization located in Portland, Oregon. Psanctum publishes educational articles and videos, curates an online digital archive, and hosts events like the Psanctum Speaker Series, the Psanctum Psychedelic Conference, monthly integration circles, and the weekly Psanctum Open Mic. We also operate Psanctum Thrift, which raises funds for psychedelic-assisted therapy, education, integration, and support. Psanctum also features an onsite Psychedelic Education Center, which is currently archiving the last materials of the Timothy Leary collection. We believe psychedelic experiences have the power to heal, inspire, and liberate the human mind, body, and soul. But these substances are only as powerful as our ability to understand, integrate, and support them. Psanctum works to contribute towards building a society where psychedelic experiences, education, and the strong communities necessary to process them, are accessible to all."
Please support Psanctum's mission by donating to the cause or by shopping at the store.
Patti Smith reads "Footnote to Howl" by Allen Ginsberg at Pioneer Place, Portland, OR August 15, 2023: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYmMBLIcc9U&t=1s
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| Jeremy Garner reads his poetry in public for the first time. |
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| Jeremy Garner reads his poetry in public for the first time. |
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| Jeremy Garner and Christopher Luna |
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| Debra Elisa reads from You Can Call It Beautiful, her new book from MoonPath Press |
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| Debra Elisa reads from You Can Call It Beautiful, her new book from MoonPath Press |
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| Christopher Luna, Debra Elisa, and Toni Lumbrazo Luna |
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| Christopher and Toni Luna |
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| Christopher Luna and Toni Lumbrazo Luna |
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| Featured Reader Christopher Luna with The humble Poets' Open Mic co-founder Eric Fair-Layman |
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| Angela Douglass and Christopher Luna |
Thanks to Eric Fair-Layman,
Debra Elisa, and everyone who attended my featured reading at The Humble Poets'
Open Mic in Portland. I am grateful to several friends and students who showed
up to read and support me: Angela Douglass, Toni Lumbrazo Luna, Melinda Bell,
and John Carter. The staff at The Stacks Coffeehouse were very welcoming and
hospitable.
I was also honored to see Jeremy Garner, one of my poetry students from MultnomahArts Center, read his poetry in public for the first time.
If you missed it, you can watch my set on my YouTube channel. Thanks to Toni Lumbrazo Luna for the video.
My life and my 2023 would not have been the same without my friend Igor Bjorn Brezhnev, the publisher and co-founder of Lightship Press.
Bjorn is a tireless supporter of poets and writers locally. I first became aware of
him when he hosted a weekly open mic at the Rocking Frog that included multiple
features and a very democratic process of deciding who would read in the open
mic. He picked names from a hat.
Since
then Bjorn has organized great series and individual readings at Rose City Book
Pub, CoHo Theatre, Birdhouse Books, and elsewhere.
Bjorn is
determined to get poets paid, and puts all of himself into organizing and
executing many events in the community. We should not have to work for free.
What we do can be both a vocation as well as a profession if we believe in it
enough to treat it that way. I respect Bjorn for his determination to raise money
for poets to de remunerated for their time and hard work.
I could
not be more proud of my Voracity, my book from Lightship Press, edited by Sam
Preminger and designed by Igor Bjorn Brezhnev in December 2022.
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| Lightship Press cofounders Bjorn Brezhnev and Sam Preminger at The Haven PDX |
Many of
us owe a debt of gratitude to Bjorn for all he has done to make the greater
Portland metropolitan area and Ghost Town, USA safe for poetry.
Why not
show your support in a more tangible way and contribute to Bjorn’s Patreon.
Bjorn is also available for consulting or you can buy one of his books. I love his epic “nights since” series.
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