Peggy Norbert Nature Museum 1~4~19

March 23, 2020 by Dave Landsberger in public appearances, poems while you wait

On a frigid January morning, Poems While You Wait had the privilege of writing poems in the Butterfly Garden at the Peggy Norbert Nature Museum.

I’ve always loved the Butterfly Garden so I jumped at the chance to write poems within. And my skin could certainly use the humidity. It made me think that biome experiences could be a thing if someone wanted to make that happen.

Poets! Danielle, Kathleen, Eric, and myself! These are my people.

Face to face events are nice. Here’s to a hopeful future full of more personal interaction.

Papillon ~ Mariposa ~ Butterfly ~ all these words are beautiful

I like this poem despite its familiar end. I had to write a poem about my butterfly shirt cuz, yknow.

I dunno this little one’s scientific name but I’m sure that it’s Latin and obtuse (unless you know Latin)

The most popular poem request was, of course, butterflies. Whenever we get an abundance of one topic at PWYW I always try to approach it from different angles.

Whenever there’s a lot of kids at PWYW I always make a more concerted effort to rhyme. It’s not that kids aren’t into free verse, it’s just that kids don’t deal well with their expectations of what a poem is being deconstructed. Trying to avoid tant… — Whenever there’s a lot of kids at PWYW I always make a more concerted effort to rhyme. It’s not that kids aren’t into free verse, it’s just that kids don’t deal well with their expectations of what a poem is being deconstructed. Trying to avoid tantrums!

Wow - look at all these parents desperately trying to entertain their children on a Saturday morning. To be fair, a lot of the kids were really respectful.

Cue “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy” by Rod Stewart

When we write for free we institute a “one poem per family” rule. This creates some interesting mashups. The rule exists mostly to protect the value of the poem itself - by rationing the poems forces the audience to consider the end result a bit mor… — When we write for free we institute a “one poem per family” rule. This creates some interesting mashups. The rule exists mostly to protect the value of the poem itself - by rationing the poems forces the audience to consider the end result a bit more.

Field Museum 7.9.19

July 28, 2019 by Dave Landsberger in my poetry, poems while you wait, public appearances

The Field Museum invited Poems While You Wait to write poems for their donor night. We had the privilege of sitting underneath the taxidermy elephants with our typewriters.

Look up and see the windows change color between the tusks

In the 12 years that I have been writing public typewriter poetry I’ve had a whole range of experiences and emotions regarding my creative output in these settings. Some days I feel like each poem is trash: I can’t connect to the emotion of the request or I can’t appreciate the exercise because the topic feels uninspired. Some days I feel like I’m getting my lines in for the day.

This day at the Field Museum I felt as if I was emptying myself into a glass, taking form. I don’t think they’re all stellar, but I’m really satisfied with those I included below.

I wrote 10 poems. Eric and I did a NBA fantasy draft (modern era) starting five. I surprisingly found myself picking Karl Malone on my team of 5. Picking Karl Malone for your all time top 5 is like picking cereal for breakfast when you have a whole buffet in front of you.

Sometimes people get poems about Florida without them really knowing that’s what they’re getting. I had heard of some algal blooms in the Midwest that more likely inspired this topic, but given that Florida has such a long history of this funny busi… — Sometimes people get poems about Florida without them really knowing that’s what they’re getting. I had heard of some algal blooms in the Midwest that more likely inspired this topic, but given that Florida has such a long history of this funny business I thought it best to go here. Rick Scott is an idiot.

Inspired by the ongoing archaeological wars happening in China. I can always feel a connection to writing about bones.

This requester saw me wearing a White Sox hat and they specifically requested that I write a poem of praise about the Cubs. So I went in.

Everybody in Poems While You Wait has topics that they’re ideal for. I typically get a lot of the sports poems, for instance. I also receive a lot of poem topics around general nerd culture: comics, videogames, and in this case, anime. This was for … — Everybody in Poems While You Wait has topics that they’re ideal for. I typically get a lot of the sports poems, for instance. I also receive a lot of poem topics around general nerd culture: comics, videogames, and in this case, anime. This was for a young woman, and I’m mostly archiving it here because I don’t want to forget how happy she was when she read it.

I always like to try at least one prose poem per PWYW session. This is based on a true story, and if I had more time and real estate on the page to work with, I could explore this idea a lot more, maybe channel some Transtromer.

Channeling my Merwin vibes. This might be the most realized poem I wrote of the day, but not the most interesting. If something is realized but not interesting, is it even done?

Randolph Street Market 5.26.18

June 05, 2018 by Dave Landsberger in poems while you wait, public appearances, my poetry

One of my favorite topics to receive: Dealer's Choice.  It was a particularly beautiful spring morning, and I was reading Louise Gluck's The Wild Iris. Holy. Shit. Those. Poems. Always been a Matins man m'self. — One of my favorite topics to receive: Dealer's Choice. It was a particularly beautiful spring morning, and I was reading Louise Gluck's The Wild Iris. Holy. Shit. Those. Poems. Always been a Matins man m'self.

Another great title because it gave me an immediate rhetorical posture and form for the poem. This poem has since been revised to be itself a bit more. Turns out the title was best for the first draft but not for moving forward as it was somewhat li… — Another great title because it gave me an immediate rhetorical posture and form for the poem. This poem has since been revised to be itself a bit more. Turns out the title was best for the first draft but not for moving forward as it was somewhat limiting.

My first poem is usually always my most uninhibited - this was the first poem of the day. I kinda ran out of space at the end, and was generally struggling with my machine all session.

Poems While You Wait was at the Randolph Street Market, writing poems and ringing in the official start of the outside market. Antiques, gumbo, furniture, furs, marmalades and reclaimed wood. The typewriters fit in.

I wore an aloha shirt and went to a barbecue later.

Harold Washington Library 4-29-18

May 08, 2018 by Dave Landsberger in poems while you wait, public appearances

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

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

Dave Landsberger Homecoming

November 21, 2017 by Dave Landsberger in poems while you wait, public appearances

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

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.

Winter the Horror Poem
Beaver
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.