TAMMY ROBACKER: LUNA CITY LOVE >>>

Last summer while volunteering at the poetry readings for Showcase Tacoma I met Christopher Luna, a poet and open mic host from Vancouver, Wash. In support of the thriving poetry scene at Showcase, Luna rallied up a bunch of fellow Vancouver poets, and they caravanned up here to put on a poetry show that had folks asking me afterward, “Who were those Cover to Cover poets?”

The open mic Luna hosts down south are words worth the drive. His readings at Cover to Cover Books showcase Vancouver’s burgeoning literati and invites many fine poets from across the state of Washington.

“One of the great thrills I get from hosting the open mic is listening to the diversity in age, background and subject matter. I am also honored to host many first-timers. We try very hard to create an environment in which everyone feels safe. Each reading is completely different, and we often draw 40-50 people per month. There is a real sense of community at these readings, and I'm proud to report that the attendees are friendly and supportive of one another,” says Luna.

A poet, editor, and collage artist, Luna graduated from the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics in Boulder, Colo. A New York expatriate, he currently lives in Vancouver, where he is the host of a monthly open mic poetry series “always all ages and uncensored” at Cover to Cover Books every second Thursday at 7 p.m. For more info call 360.514.0358 or 360.694.9653. His most recent chapbook, Ghost Town, USA, which features poems and observations of Vancouver, is available at Cover to Cover, or through the author.

Part I from Christopher Luna’s Poem: Burning Word Triad

I.
AMTRAK STATION
Tacoma, WA
April 30, 2007

I give James the eight dollars
He needs to get on the bus

James was shot in the leg
during the first Gulf War
by a Shiite Muslim
he had fed and shared water with
only moments earlier

When James first approaches he explains
that he has just come from the VA
where they had replaced the rod in his leg

he hadn’t realized that his leg was deteriorating
had attributed his pain to arthritis
but by the time he made it to the hospital
it had gotten so bad
that they had nearly decided to amputate it

James and I agree
that George Two is out of control
and that Guantanamo Bay
and the war in Iraq
    are a travesty
and that our actions
have made the world
a more dangerous place

I'll bring you more poetry ditties Friday. Check out the Poem-A-Tacoma archives.

Poem-A-Tacoma is sponsored by Embellish Multispace Salon in downtown Tacoma.

TAMMY ROBACKER is a poet and writer living, breathing, typing and spitting words in Tacoma. She owns a freelance writing and marketing communications company called Pearle Publications. Her poetry has appeared in Plazm, Women's Work, The Wild Goose Poetry Review, and the Allegheny Review. A recent recipient of the 2009/10 TAIP grant, she will be publishing her first book of poetry, The Vicissitudes, through the generous support of this funding made possible by the City of Tacoma and the Tacoma Arts Commission.