Sacramento's own indie press company, Flatmancrooked, showcased a number of rising literary talents Thursday in Davis.

Elijah Jenkins, executive director and founder of Flatmancrooked, took over the "Poetry Night Reading Series" at the the John Natsoulas Gallery and spiked it up a bit. The first 100 attendees received a complimentary beer or wine, and were rewarded with a second if they purchased a book for $5.

The crowd was lubricated, the talent was hot and the venue was intriguing. At one point in the night, I traveled through a secret door to a disturbed man printing unknown documents at night (requiring an entire ream for his hush-hush project), traveled up a cascade of stairs lined to the brim with lost paintings and ceramic masks, up four flights of stairs and out the fire exit onto the roof, where the light from the open door startled a group of perched cigarette smokers.

The event was hosted by University of California, Davis, Professor Andy Jones, who shares a striking resemblance to Steven Colbert. Entertaining and armed with an iPad, Jones introduced each writer with humor and finesse. First up was poet Brad Henderson, who also produces the series. Henderson read a piece detailing a personal account of a bizarre fly-like creature, hopped-up on stimulants, which he admitted to conjuring up while drunk. The whimsical and lighthearted piece opened the night, setting an easygoing tone.

Following Henderson, N.A. Jong, Andy Duga and Kevin Walsh read excerpts from their short stories from the recent Flatmancrooked publication, "Not About Vampires: An Anthology of New Fiction Concerning Everything Else." Walsh, who was the recipient of the 2009 Flatmancrooked Fiction Prize, admitted, "This is the first time I have read in public since second grade."

Poets featured in Flatmancrooked's upcoming "Slim Anthology of Contemporary Poetics" include: host Andy Jones, Chris "Whitey" Erickson, Shideh Etaat, and Julia Halprin Jackson. Jackson read three poems, the first of which was written while attending Davis High School and dedicated to her high school English teacher, who was in attendance.

Unexpectedly, Jenkins' longtime friend and Flatmancrooked's co-creator, James Kaelan, joined Flatmancrooked's lineup. Kaelan, who is a professor at Pepperdine University, read a section from his new book, "We're Getting On," titled "Surrogates," which describes a vulgar, ineffable love shared between the main character and a woman, whose name he never received, despite numerous encounters and immense attraction. If read in a mall, parents would cover their children's ears. However, at the John Natsoulas Gallery, the audience roared with cheers, accepting and appreciative that their ears were just defiled.

Jenkins concluded the night's showcase by rapping to Outkast's "Bombs Over Baghdad," a spectacle that could soon become a ritual.

The Flatmancrooked publishing house is making waves. Kaelan announced at the reading that "We're Getting On" has been selected for the cover of the upcoming issue of "Poets & Writers." The book will also be going on tour, in a unique two-wheeled style. Kaelan is a huge bicycle enthusiast and will be promoting the book by pedaling 1,300 miles from Los Angeles to Vancouver, British Columbia, stopping in 23 cities.

The book is part of the Zero Emissions Book Project, a project aimed at reinventing the way books are published. Printed on 100 percent post-consumer material, with a cover containing birch seeds, capable of growing a tree if planted, the idea is to create an awareness about resources.

Sacramento is included in the tour. Check out Flatmancrooked for upcoming events and Zero Emissions for info on tour.