This evening's special summer salon will begin with a performance of poetry and violin by Kristen and Samantha, whose decade-long collaboration often explores themes of experimental form and sonic hierarchies. Kristen will then read work composed with divination, followed by a live tarot reading for the community.

Attendees will be invited to ask questions of the cards and to discuss themes of divinatory poetics & collaboration.

Kristen E. Nelson is a queer writer, scholar, and performer. She is the author of two books In the Away Time (Autofocus Books, April 2024) and the length of this gap (Damaged Goods, August 2018); and two chapbooks sometimes I gets lost and is grateful for noises in the dark (Dancing Girl, 2017) and Write, Dad (Unthinkable Creatures, 2012). She has published creative and critical writing in Feminist Studies, Bombay Gin, Denver Quarterly, Drunken Boat, Tarpaulin Sky Journal, Trickhouse, and Everyday Genius, among others. Kristen founded Casa Libre en la Solana, a non-profit writing center in Tucson, Arizona, where she worked as the Executive Director for 14 years and co-founded Four Queens, a platform for divinatory poetics with Selah Saterstrom. Kristen is currently a Ph.D. candidate and instructor of creative writing at the University of California – Santa Cruz in the Literature Department’s creative/critical writing concentration. Her research centers on Creative Writing, Divinatory Poetics, Feminist Autotheory, and Witchcraft Studies. More info: kristenenelson.org

Samantha Bounkeua (RogueViolin) is a queer violinist-composer-producer whose work blurs perceptions of acoustic performance. Founder of Rogue Violin Studios, she specializes in cross-media collaborations that amplify queer/femme voices and explore themes of vulnerability and identity. A 2023 California Arts Council Emerging Artist Fellow and former artist at Stanford’s Re-Presence Residency, Samantha recorded the award-winning score for the 2025 Sundance film, Sunfish and recently appeared as The Muse in the New Cannon Theatre production of An Iliad.

Light Refreshments will be served including iced herbal teas.

Feel free to BYOB or whatever you want to share!

Torn Page is so excited to share this special evening with community old and new. Any questions? Please email poet-host, Lee Ann Brown at TenderButtonsPress@gmail.com