The Gothic Funk Salon is a curated reading series launched in 2020 to engage writers and readers from all over Flint and around the world.
Initially hosted in a digital format in response to Covid, early installments brought readers from all around the country to one online destination to share their work with an audience of viewers, while enjoying drinks presented by resident mixologist Irène Hodes. You may stream these past events at the GFP YouTube account.
Since 2024, the Press has transitioned to in person salons hosted at Queens’ Provisions in the Carriage Town neighborhood of Flint, Michigan. We hope you’ll join us!
FORTHCOMING:
Vivian Kao lives in Flint, Michigan, and teaches English at Mott Community College. She is the author of a book of poems, Dear Mrs. River-Dragon, which was published by Another New Calligraphy in 2024 and was a finalist for the MSU Wheelbarrow Poetry Prize, and a poetry chapbook, Daughters of the Republic, which will be published by Seven Kitchens Press later this year. She was the 2024-25 Writer-in-Residence at the Buckham Fine Arts Project, and her volume of poems written in residence was published as Observations, Volume 5 in March 2026. Her poems have appeared or will soon appear in East Village Magazine, Apricity, The Louisville Review, Press Pause, and the anthology Born for Such a Time as This.
Lisa Sarno is a poet, musician, and performer based in Flint, Michigan. She is an avid networker and informal community organizer who believes in the expression and power of resistance. She is a member of The Voices of the Revolution, a women’s poetry powerhouse based in Lansing, Michigan. Lisa published her first book of poetry, Grasping at Stars (December 2024), which was named a finalist in the 2025 Golden Crown Literary Society Awards. More of Lisa’s work has been published in Voices of the Revolution Poems from the Resisterhood (April 2025). Lisa discovered the perfect blend of art and expression through live spoken word and musical performances. She was the featured poet in Threading Moonbows, a performance that included The Happen Dance Group from Okemos and the Kalamazoo based musical trio, Aurora and Antheia. In May, Lisa co-produced and performed in Adrienne Torf’s The Awesome Difficult Work of Love in Flint, Michigan. Moving forward, Lisa looks towards facilitating a week-long poetry immersive workshop at The Women Performing Instruments (WPI) Festival using June Jordan’s framework: Poetry for the People: A Revolutionary Blueprint.
PAST EVENTS:
FEBRUARY 2026 SALON
February 26, 2026
The February Gothic Funk Salon invites Flint expat poet Catharine Batsios to celebrate her debut collection Streetlamp Nautilus.
DECEMBER 2025 SALON
December 4, 2025
The December Gothic Funk Salon shines a spotlight on the needs and contributions of our thriving local independent journalist outlets. Featured organizations include East Village Magazine, Flint Beat, Flint. Daily., and Flintside. Guest moderator: Nic Custer.
AUGUST 2025 SALON
August 16, 2025
Launch party for the FLOOD 2025 anthology featuring: Elisabeth Blair, Marcus Brown, Nic Custer, Elizabeth Decker-Benjamin, Laura West Hall, Alaina Hammond, Jan Worth
JULY 2025 SALON
July 3, 2025
Featuring: L.L. Ama, Marcus Brown, Donald Harbin, Lucine Jarrah, Nayyirah Shariff, Dale Weighill
FEBRUARY 2025 SALON
February 13, 2025
Featuring: Bob Campbell, Vivian Kao, Kimberly Matthon, Michael Thomas
DECEMBER 2024 SALON
December 18, 2024
Featuring: Authors of the Gothic Funk Press
OCTOBER 2024 SALON
October 25, 2024
Featuring: Paul Counelis, Roxanne Rhoads
WINTER 2024 SALON
January 25, 2024
Featuring: Melodie Bolt, Kim Matthon, Roxanne Rhoads
SALON FLOAT
March 2, 2023
Featuring: Christine Borne, S.C. Megale, Reinhardt Suarez
SALON SHANDY
April 6, 2022
Featuring: Elisabeth Blair, Aaron Foley, and Kelsey Ronan.
SALON SPICED CIDER
October 27, 2021
Featuring: Bob Campbell, Sylvia Hubbard-Hutula, M.L. Kennedy
SALON HOT BUTTERED RUM
January 28, 2021
Featuring: Nic Custer, Bilal Dardai, Christine Maul-Rice
SALON JULEP
August 27, 2020
Featuring: LaTashia Carter-Perry, Gemma Cooper-Novack, Jan Worth-Nelson
SALON SANGRIA
July 30, 2020
Bob Campbell, Sarah-Jean Krahn, Reinhardt Suarez