South Broadway Ghost Society at Thought//Forms gallery

Ghostly images adorned the walls of Thought//Forms.
Photo; Genessa Gutzait · *The Sentry*

Ghosts haunt art walk after party

A short walk from the First Friday commotion in the Sante Fe Art Gallery sits the Thought//Forms gallery on 1st St. and Kalamath. On Jan. 4, the gallery hosted an event with the South Broadway Ghost Society editor-in-chief, Brice Maiurro.

South Broadway Ghost Society (SoBoGhoSo) is a recently birthed literary magazine publishing work that evokes sublime, spiritual energy. The society hosts events around Denver along with help from the local DIY community. While they’ve been publishing exclusively online, they’re currently raising money to produce their first print edition.

While the main event was certainly a series of readings by local poets, the gallery was also awash with music, art, and funky lighting. The walls at Thought//Forms featured a wide collection of visual artists, displaying anything from paintings and photography to a collection of spooky, Dadaist, hodgepodge collages by Vincent Cheap Painter.

The poetry reading began early in the night before most of the musicians took over. Music backed each of the poets as they read, helping them gauge how much time they had to read their work. The unassuming DJ of the night, Lucas Joe, kept an eye on the time and the tunes as he helped the event roll along smoothly.

In deference to his fellow writers, Maiurro went first, reading both from his phone and from published work. A particularly powerful poem titled “Several Thoughts On a Fly in My Bedroom Tonight” elicited cheers from those in the crowd familiar with his work.

D.o.t.B (K.V. Dionne) explored darker themes in their work in keeping with the ghostly themes of the evening. A handful of their poems have been published on SoBoGhoSo’s website and in Spit Poet Magazine.

Gwendalynn Roebke impressed their poems upon the minds of audience members as they belted them out with passion. They covered topics from racial alienation to the socioeconomic status of Pizza Rolls. Roebke will be reading at Innisfree Poetry Bookstore & Cafe on Feb. 12.

Though not billed as a poet, the ukulele-backed rap of Smiley Gatmouth opened the event, occasionally interrupted by fragments of poems read from a personal chapbook. Whether it was the low-fi stylings of Gatmouth or the faded vocals of Luxury Hearse, music helped carry the night to fruition and keep the atmosphere alive—or is that undead?

Notably, the devilish noise-pop from local artist Ghoulfriend made sure to wake up any ghosts that hadn’t already risen from their graves for the occasion. EDM house artist KaylArias kept people dancing until two in the morning. She incorporated live instruments such as piano and violin into her set, a trend in EDM that has taken off in recent years both with large commercial acts and local emerging artists like KaylArias.

The crowd was welcoming and engaged throughout the night. Though the minimal standing room in the little gallery forced guests shoulder to should with whoever happened to be standing next to them, the crowdedness only seemed to add to the intimate atmosphere and make attendees feel a part of something beautiful.

Between the dirt-cheap drinks and inclusive atmosphere, the Thought//Forms Gallery and SoBoGhoSo made the perfect event for art walkers this month.

South Broadway Ghost Society
soboghoso.org