#marshalljameskavanaugh

[dreampoetforhire]

In my endless quest for poetry, I’ve written poems in all sorts of places around the country. Part of choosing where to live and who to make community with often has to do with who values you and your work.

Since I moved to Philly 15 years ago, I’ve witnessed the city going through what can only be described as an art renaissance. And though much of my content here is about MY experiences performing poetry, part of my tenure here has been getting to meet and work with some of the most influential artists, musicians, poets, curators, and dreamers. It’s being a part of what we are all creating together that keeps me continually inspired.

All that to say, I love to see @philamuseum and some of the other larger art institutions in our city become such a focal point to all this magic. Creating spaces that make the art even more accessible is such an important feat. I’ve been super grateful to be in the mix.

House Party last Saturday was truly transformative. With light, music, and so much bliss.

We were dancing. We were singing. We were a lit scene. And I’m still reminiscing on how cool this city can be when we dream all at once.

June 2023

📸 by @sinae_ig

[dreampoetforhire]

In May, I was invited to write poems at @phl_airport to celebrate 25 years of public art at the airport. Over the years @phlairportart has curated some incredible installations and performances. I love how they’ve cultivated an accessible space for the general public to enjoy local artists. At the same time it is exciting to think how these artists are connected to a world audience that might not usually traffic an art gallery. It’s been a special honor to be in the mix, writing poems for travelers as they pass through Philadelphia.

Personally, it’s such a delight to witness how poetry has an impact in all these different avenues. I find there is always a need for a poem whether I am set up in a public park, at a music festival, featured at the airport, or spotlighted in the art museum. Poetry is always in demand.

What a beautiful reflection of humanity that we still look to a poem to make sense of our experience. Connecting us deeper to the beat of the heart. Channeling the bards of old, to expand tomorrow’s horizons. So much of our reality can feel disjointed and out of sync, and yet in a poem there is still this great wave of harmony.

[dreampoetforhire]

Front page in @usatoday this week!

Feeling all sorts of gratitude to Phaedra Trethan for capturing so much of my story and depicting some of the magic I experience daily as a dream poet who sets up in public spaces around Philly and around the country.

Read the full article here: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/04/23/philadelphia-poetry-busker/73326769007/

Also worth it to say that in the print edition the other headlines sharing the front page speak to the very real struggles facing our world. I don't take it lightly that a feature on poetry was paired with articles about tyranny and the police state. I think that's exactly where the work of a poet belongs. To challenge those unfortunate norms and encourage a passerby to dream a better world.

I think of Joy Harjo's "Poet Warrior" or James

Baldwin's "The Artist's Struggle for Integrity", or Nina Simone's "An Artist's Duty", and so many other statements on how the Poet affects change.

I'm so grateful for these literary ancestors to guide me and my peers. Also, I wouldn't be anywhere without all of you who have consistently showed me so many facets of how poetry has an impact. Thank you!

[dreampoetforhire]

The Philly Renaissance is in full swing. The museum hall fills with young creatives. Impressionist art projected upon the granite walls. The DJ plays Fela Kuti and other songs of social change.

We celebrate 100 years at the @barnesfoundation. And from everything I’ve read of Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, I imagine 100 years ago they were having parties like this, in big ballrooms like this, and filled with artistic genius like this. Thus named the Roaring Twenties.

One key difference between then and now is accessibility. Then this would be a gala reserved for “high society”. Now we are made to feel the high society. The museum opens its doors to the creative minds of Philadelphia. It encourages all the diverse expressions that make up our beautiful city to show up dressed in bright colors and avant garde shapes. Creates space for them to overlap and interweave and with any luck paint a grand new golden age.

It’s exciting to meet and exchange ideas with these culture makers and community organizers of our generation. I write poems for them about “Purpose”, “Art As Healing”, “Infinity”, “Film & Family”, and “A Painter Who Only Paints Men For The Last 2 Years, & How It Changed Her Life”.

I don’t take lightly how poetry has been curated into the evening. Something to be archived for historians 100 years from now to look back and find.

Who was there. Who performed. What was talked about. What dreams came to life. The plagues and struggles we survived, in order to come back together and thrive.

All of this in the fabric of our gathering. In the connections made outside the poems being written live.

What a beautiful spectacle.

I’m extremely grateful to be in it. Excited to be alive at this time. A time when museums in Philly craft experiences alongside this city’s unique collective spirit.

Whereas many artists in Modigliani’s era (currently on exhibition at The Barnes) may have remained out of focus in their lifetime, we see in our time now perhaps a chance for local, lesser known artists to socialize and dance and even soak up some of that limelight inside the great halls of the museum.

No time like the present.

November 2022

📸 by @jimmycreates

[dreampoetforhire]

Last night at the Mural Arts Wall Ball, I saw the great minds of my time enter the ring and champion the power of voice! Serendipitous that our venue, 2300 Arena, typically hosts boxing and professional wrestling.

But this was no death match. No, a Def Jam poetry slam revival is less a battle and more a tribute to the heart’s vibrance. Each performer took their time to work over the crowd. Raising spirits in the details between the lines. Pieced together the identity behind the microphone and took the listener on a journey through sound and rhythm.

I knew there was a movement in store when the DJ launched the evening with a favorite track by Fela Kuti. Meanwhile aerialists defied gravity, swinging trapeze from the ceiling. Live muralists transformed our surroundings with colors and unique mindforms. Talk about a dream exhibition! Nearby friend and fellow BarnesWest Artist @karensmithdrums led a jazz ensemble on djembe. And I heard one of my favorite Philly poets @urucker take the stage and transmute feeling into sonic overtures like light beams.

As poets, we were there to honor literary legends, Sonia Sanchez and Danny Simmons. The architects of where Philly’s poetry scene arrives today. But as the night progressed it became a celebration of Philly’s cultural might present in each individual.

I met art curator and patron, mother and husband, dreamer and visionary one after the other. And each with a story to tell. Some magic to inspire. A gift of creative impulse to light another’s candle. They asked for poems about Love, Purpose, Growth, Teaching, and all colors of the rainbow. And I felt the Muse dancing happily between us all.

What an incredible way to bring National Poetry Month in Philly to a close. Still a few more days left, but I think after last night I’m going to take it slow and enjoy the reflections!

Thanks so much to Katy from @wittygrittyphl for inviting me to be a part of the ceremonies and to @muralarts for reflecting so much of the diverse dreamscape that is our home! These twenties are roaring, and it’s so special to see all those who are playing a part in making the world a better place, more full of creative expression!

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[dreampoetforhire]

“Write a poem about Conjoined Twin Oddities” written while performing on September 2, 2022 at @muttermuseum in Philadelphia, PA. For folks who don’t know, America’s finest museum of medical history, the Mütter Museum displays its beautifully preserved collections of anatomical specimens, models, and medical instruments in a 19th-century “cabinet museum” setting. The museum helps the public understand the mysteries and beauty of the human body and to appreciate the history of diagnosis and treatment of disease. #poetsofinstagram #typewriterpoetry #lovepoem #dreampoetforhire #marshalljameskavanaugh (at Mütter Museum) https://www.instagram.com/p/CiEKd7PjtFi/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[dreampoetforhire]

Every farmers market needs some soul food. I’ve been gorging on the apples and pears and finding distant memories of the summer peach. The poems are extra juicy, making the keys of the typewriter sticky with magic. It’s my favorite part of the weekend to wake up and arrive early at Clark Park for the farmers market to see what West Philly is dreaming up for the afternoon! All of us stuffed on what autumn harvests are ours to bring home. September 2021 📸 by @bluejunee Click the link in my bio to order a customized poem. All I need is a topic, and I’ll have a unique, typewritten poem mailed out to you or someone you love before the end of the week! #dreampoetforhire #poetforhire #poetryondemand #streetwriters #buskinglife #busker #typewriterpoetry #poetsofinstagram #marshalljameskavanaugh #publicpoetry #clarkparkfarmersmarket #clarkpark #phillypoet #phillypoetry #poetry247 (at Clark Park) https://www.instagram.com/p/CU0zX_1pFei/?utm_medium=tumblr

[dreampoetforhire]

I love the katydids on a late summer night. The way their songs fill the trees with mirth. Even in the evening there is still so much keeping us awake. An electric atmosphere. The pulse of life itself vibrating all around. It’s from this that the words fill the page. A late night refrain. A color of romance. The illumination of the moon to bring it all home. My poetry is thematic. It’s environmental. Often, I think the purpose of the poet is to point others to look at the moon. To hold space for the silence. To awaken within another a connection to the outside world. Nature is my skeleton key. It opens so many doors to wonder. One of them will lead us home. July 2021 📸 by @irinabelashov #dreampoetforhire #poetforhire #poetryondemand #streetwriters #buskinglife #busker #typewriterpoetry #poetsofinstagram #marshalljameskavanaugh #publicpoetry #rittenhousesquare #phillypoet #phillypoetry #poetry247 (at Rittenhouse Square) https://www.instagram.com/p/CSQkLu6Dcti/?utm_medium=tumblr

[dreampoetforhire]

HeartSpeak for the mind to see. A poem is a passage to create the space for the soul to breathe. Hang onto every syllable. Hang onto ever comma and semicolon. There is a dream waiting to see the light of day. Some magic waiting to be heard! May 2021 📸 by @thedeadlilemon #dreampoetforhire #poetforhire #poetryondemand #streetwriters #buskinglife #busker #typewriterpoetry #poetsofinstagram #marshalljameskavanaugh #publicpoetry #clarkpark #clarkparkfarmersmarket #phillypoet #phillypoetry #poetry247 (at Clark Park) https://www.instagram.com/p/CQhOIUqDVJh/?utm_medium=tumblr

[dreampoetforhire]

Hey, all! I still got a stack of @poetsforpeace.us zines available from last summer. Celebrate #NationalPoetryMonth this year by connecting to the QTBIPOC poets uplifted in these pages. Click the link in my bio to grab a copy of either/both zine today! $15-25 suggested donation. Print & Digital copies available. All proceeds from the zines go to support QTBIPOC organizations. With these sales there will be an emphasis on support given to solidarity actions for #DaunteWright being organized in Minnesota, Philly, and elsewhere, as well as ongoing actions to #StopAsianHate in response to bigotry towards the Asian Community. Thanks to all who supported this collection in the past! #dreampoetforhire #poetforhire #poetryondemand #streetwriters #buskinglife #busker #typewriterpoetry #poetsofinstagram #marshalljameskavanaugh #publicpoetry #rittenhousesquare #phillypoet #phillypoetry #poetry247 (at Rittenhouse Square) https://www.instagram.com/p/CNqtTDhjpyn/?igshid=1na8wcctzewn3

[dreampoetforhire]

Just reflecting on some of the spaces I’ve been privileged enough to perform poetry in over the past year, despite the global circumstances. I started the year spending a lot of time up in New York City. I had a friend up there who I was helping publish a collection of two versions of the same surrealist play. He also had a week of live performances of the play, and so as his publisher I was at the door selling copies of the book. It was a great experience participating in the underground theater scene. Being a part of this legendary production. During the day, I’d set up with the typewriter in my favorite hub for beatniks and free spirits, Washington Square Park. Thanks to climate change, winters are now extremely mild in the northeast, and somehow I’m able to type poems in New York City in December and January. I have to bundle up , for sure, but as long as the sun is out, there’s a crowd moving through waiting to share a story. I think the day this photo was taken it just happened to rain. A nice Irish mist. Great inspiration for thoughtful dreams but not the greatest for paper-based poems. Somehow there was still an audience, and despite the weather a lot of exchange. I actually had a hard time packing up because of folks continuing to step up for requests. Then I ran into a friend from New Mexico (but originally from NYC) and the whole thing trailed off into just another story of wandering artists and connected journeys. I remember my playwright friend’s partner talking about the catastrophic loss of life and resultant lockdowns occurring in Wuhan, China, but it all seemed like something distant and not to worry too much about. Somehow instead it turned into what it is today. But we still find ways to connect through poetry. Masks up and all. December 2019 📸 by @f0t0ji Click the link in my bio to order a customized poem. All I need is a topic, and I’ll have a unique, typewritten poem mailed out to you or someone you love before the end of the week! #dreampoetforhire #poetforhire #poetryondemand #streetwriters #buskinglife #busker #typewriterpoetry #poetsofinstagram #marshalljameskavanaugh #publicpoetry #washingtonsquarepark #nycpoet #nycpoetry (at Washington Square Park) https://www.instagram.com/p/CH6KL1XjiJ8/?igshid=qt1j2xtoeuhz

[dreampoetforhire]

“Write a poem about These Times We’re Living Through” written on August 8, 2020 while busking at Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia, PA #poetsofinstagram #typewriterpoetry #lovepoem #dreampoetforhire #marshalljameskavanaugh (at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) https://www.instagram.com/p/CEUrBcTDirP/?igshid=dyvfkw6s8fil

[dreampoetforhire]

Romance is in the air. Let’s put it down on paper. You can DM me or send an email to dreampoetforhire@gmail.com to commission me for a poem on any topic and I’ll type one up to send to you in the mail. January 2020 📸 by @shieldsvanessa #dreampoetforhire #poetforhire #poetryondemand #streetwriters #buskinglife #busker #typewriterpoetry #poetsofinstagram #marshalljameskavanaugh #publicpoetry #rittenhousesquare #phillypoet #phillypoetry https://www.instagram.com/p/B8CFzsmDTNU/?igshid=8d2rim6mx73e

[dreampoetforhire]

“Write a poem about Gritty,” written on September 28, 2019 while busking at #clarkparkfarmersmarket in West Philadelphia, PA. #poetsofinstagram #typewriterpoetry #lovepoem #dreampoetforhire #marshalljameskavanaugh #clarkpark (at Clark Park) https://www.instagram.com/p/B2-Yj5LDqRB/?igshid=1uevg54kfcbil

[dreampoetforhire]

"Write a poem about Shadow", written on September 14, 2018 at @paseoproject in Taos, NM. #poetsofinstagram #typewriterpoetry #lovepoem #dreampoetforhire #marshalljameskavanaugh (at Taos, New Mexico) https://www.instagram.com/p/B2jvc5DjX55/?igshid=bdee11u58o15