Harold Washington Library 4-29-18

Poems While You Wait helped celebrate The Harold Washington Library's Poetry Fest.  There were 8 poets writing both upstairs and downstairs.  The poems were free, to celebrate National Poetry Month.

I almost collapsed of hunger halfway through the performance but found some beef jerky across the street.

That morning I listened to the new Twin Shadow album "Caer" and I think it rang into some of the work.

Something that sticks out was the woman ordering the poem "homeless and hungry" and never returning to claim it.  

Eat your beef jerky when you have it.

Been reading Bryan Doerrie's "All That You've Seen Here is God" ~ his translation of Ajax is good

Been reading Bryan Doerrie's "All That You've Seen Here is God" ~ his translation of Ajax is good

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Religious topics are rare for pwyw ~ I wonder why ~ perhaps its too private for poetry even?

Religious topics are rare for pwyw ~ I wonder why ~ perhaps its too private for poetry even?

This poem feels good - I wrote it second - some version of this will end up in the next book

This poem feels good - I wrote it second - some version of this will end up in the next book

A little girl asked for a haiku

A little girl asked for a haiku

Beef Jams Debut C2E2 Social

Beef Jams was fresh off the griddle and ready for Chicago at c2e2 - check out some photos from the show.

BEEFJAMS.COM

~to buy a copy of Beef Jams Tournament Edition, clink the link above~

Table partners in small time crime:

Greg & Fake - @gregandfake

Marc Koprinarov - @crambackward

Brian Mead - @madebymead

John Bailey - @nanodeath

JB Roe - @mortcrimpjr

Beef Jams Tournament Edition Debuts at c2e2

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Beef Jams Tournament Edition is a full color 46 page anthology comic featuring a ragtag group of Basketball Playing Long Haul Truckers and their off-the-court hi-jinx, led by their All-American Mascot, Phylo the Cheeseburger.  Phylo is joined by smut philosopher power forward, Axel Suede, feral old tymey prospector point guard, Big Run, and vaping Romeo center, Cheef Chaw.  Read along as the truckers “travel” their way in to your heart in this all new comic with their "foul" behavior!  

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Here's a rundown of some of their adventures in the book:

  • Phylo the Cheeseburger is challenged on his USDA Grade A status by the BEEF COUNCIL.  Phylo must prove that he is untainted and 100 through three distinct feats of beefery.
  • In T-SHIRT CANNON OF MASS DESTRUCTION Phylo steals a powerful weapon from the mascot of the military industrial complex. Beef on the lam.
  • Barry the Bookie Centaur drags Phylo on an epic quest, but Phylo feels more like the third wheel in BOOTY CALL.
  • Remember when newspapers had Sunday Comics? We do too. Four news strip style BEEF JAMS SUNDAY FUNNIES.
  • Planet Earth is set to collide with the planet Nibiru, but Phylo has been chosen as our planet's champion to beat an alien baller 1 on 1 for Armageddon in SUPER BEEF JAMS 2K6
  • Cheef Chaw is climbing a mountain choking on vape clouds to create his own destiny in CLIFFHANGER QUEST
  • Junior cheeseburgers are juvenile delinquents pranking "Unca Phylo" in 3 NEPHEWS INNA FOUNTAIN
  • Axel Suede smokes under the night sky and pontificates on balls in SMUT PHILOSOPHER
  • The truckers are down 1 with 1 second left in the game, call TIMEOUT

At the show we have some exclusives for the fans that turn up

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I highly recommend the BEEF JAMS GUIDE TO FLAT EARTH

Here's the schedule at tables L6/L5:

FRIDAY - Poems While You Wait will be poeming at our table from 2-5pm

SATURDAY - Brian Mead, artist of BEEF COUNCIL, is signing comics and his exclusive Beef Jams Print from 1-3pm!

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SUNDAY - Challenge Greg to a chess match and LOSE!

The best basketball comic in the world in the best basketball town in the world. 

BOOK 2

ONE

 

BEAVER

EXPRESSWAY COUNTRY SONG

PLATFORM

THE RIVERSIDE MOOD

DESERT COUNTRY SONG

PAYCHECK

PEREGRINE AS SEEN FROM CONFERENCE ROOM

RETENTION POND COUNTRY SONG

ON DRY LAND

THE TAMING OF BUCEPHALUS

RIDGELINE

 

TWO

 

JET SKI FREESTYLE

AL FRESCO

AMBITION DEVOURS

NUDES

BEG FOR THE NIGHT

HOT TANGERINE

DOUBLE BATHED

DREAMBOAT

VAPOROUS

 

THREE

 

PERHAPS LOONS

STILL WATERS

DEER BEFORE THEY BOLT

GOLIATH WATERHOTDOG

FAVORITE WRITER

TURBULENCE COUNTRY SONG

FISHTAIL

COLLUSION

CRISIS

ON-RAMP COUNTRY SONG

 

FOUR

 

PLANE COUNTRY SONG

TELECOMMUNICATIONS

DATACENTER

SUPER STREET FIGHTER II TURBO

INDOORS

PROVERB

 

FIVE

 

I WOULD BE RELUCTANT AS LEAVES

DAYLIGHT SAVINGS

LOVELESS

FILTHY HABIT

BERSERKER

KAHUNA

FRONTAGE ROAD COUNTRY SONG

LOOKING INTO THE KLEENEX

 

SIX

 

HIBERNATION

WINTER THE HORROR POEM

SHARDS

 

2.3.17

been in the lab but big things soon

Dave Landsberger Homecoming

Hi, I'm Dave Landsberger and I founded Poems While You Wait with Kathleen Rooney and Eric Plattner in 2011.  

You might not know that though, considering I've been absent from PWYW since March of 2017.  

October marked my triumphant return to PWYW.

Reading at The Singleman Affair, Cafe Mustache, Chicago, IL

Reading at The Singleman Affair, Cafe Mustache, Chicago, IL

I read a few new poems in front of a Friday Night crowd at Cafe Mustache in Logan Square for a series entitled "The Singleman Affair".  I will rank the new poems in order of how well they went over.

  1. Winter the Horror Poem
  2. Beaver
  3. Daylight Savings

On September 28, 2017, Poems While You Wait visited Randolph Street Market.  I wrote one poem that I like, titled "WAVES OF FALL".  I have since retitled it after the first line, "I WOULD BE RELUCTANT AS LEAVES"

On November 17, 2017 Poems While you Wait attended The Adler Planetarium's "Adler After Dark" series.  The theme this time around was "Adler After Dark Ages" so there were tunics all up in the place.  

I don't think I wrote anything that amazing this night, but here's some pics including an obligatory shot of Chicago from Northerly Island.  Lit purple for Veteran's Day, I really enjoy this color on the city.  I also enjoy how you can see the border of the light polution on the clouds to the right.

Here's to being more public. See you out there.

EPITHALAMIUM

What if we all could ascend

and be the love we wish to have?

 

What if we decided in this moment it’s possible

in this forever community sitting on rented chairs?

 

If I can be the man you all hold in your hearts—

lovely as the levity inside my bride’s eyes—

 

maybe any feat is possible?

If I can be more than a man and impossibly depersonify,

 

recast myself as this embodied moment

to be bouyant inside the eyes of a hundred loved ones—

 

we walk among earth flailing to anchor in passion’s treasured moment.

These eternal seconds whistle with the songs of our descendants—

 

waiting for us to gather in their small arms

this one-thoughted love will bring us more eyes to levitate within

 

We revel in the triumph

of the impossibility of forging a community,

 

the ridiculous business of renting chairs!

If our love could ascend

 

and be the constant wish to our ancestors that toiled to provide, if, only if!

We sit amidst four trees feeling the greatness of our families

 

forever boys and girls inside our bodies

chittering in the handles of our August garments winding up to celebrate

 

if I can be the man you hold in your hearts

I will take you inside of mine

 

my bride’s eyes levitate with our lives before us—

I can’t look away.


 

8.5.2017

WGAS Radio Appearance

I was a guest on "Who Gives a Shit" with Matt Muchowski on Lumpen Radio.  

We talked about Fast & Furious poetry, comicbooks, Suicide by Jaguar, sincerity, Kid Rock running for Senate and I wrote a poem on the spot and read it on air.

I spent a lot of time thinking about what shirt I would wear that day, which just goes to prove that humans don't really understand technology.

It's about two hours long for those of you dying for some Devastating Dave aka Dr. Delish aka Yung Carlos Boozer aka Sweet Tomato aka David Copperfield

Many thanks to Matt Muchowski, my homeboy from High School, for making this possible. Follow Who Gives a Shit radio on the Zuccbook.

"My Only Motive is Money..."

The secondhand market for my book is getting a little out of control.  

Suicide by Jaguar is going for $500 on Amazon.

My publisher and I consciously decided to not make the book available on Amazon. Secondhand resellers do what they want.

Here's a friendly reminder that you can buy this book at cover price ($16.95) at Jai-Alai Books.

I recently did a few commissions for a customer looking for two poems: one a eulogy for her cat that had passed away and one for an upcoming wedding.

5 x 7 in protective sleeve

5 x 7 in protective sleeve

8.5 x 11 in protective sleeveAlso my cat, Tanuki

8.5 x 11 in protective sleeve

Also my cat, Tanuki

I'm pretty into writing wedding poems - I title each and every one "EPITHALAMIUM" and I hope one day when I'm older I can release a small book of all of the wedding poems I've written.

Cat poems are great too.

If you're interested in getting a commission from me, check out the link below.

Commissions by Dave Landsberger

I have some copies of The Fast and The Orpheus available for purchase on my shop.  They are limited in supply, so remember, it doesn't matter if you buy it now or buy it later...buying is buying.

Now I'm not a professional speculator but $11 seems pretty cheap for the definitive Fast & Furious poetry experience.

2 Poetry 2 Ferrari Social

podium 

podium 

/// Follow the crew ///

Direction - Gesi Schilling - http://www.gesischilling.com/

Video - Jorge Graupera - http://www.jorgegrauperafilms.com/

Best Boy - Nick County - https://www.instagram.com/nickcounty/

Production Fellow - Oscar Rieveling - https://www.instagram.com/oscar.iii/

Zine Design - Noah Levy - https://noahlevy.net/

Production - Melody Santiago Cummings - https://www.instagram.com/memelodia/

Executive Director - P. Scott Cunningham - http://cargocollective.com/pscott

Thanks to Lou La Vie for the whip