Library patrons lined up for personalized poems, created by six local poets at the Deerfield (Ill.) Public Library’s “Poems While You Wait” event in celebration of April as National Poetry Month. Poets tapped out verse on vintage typewriters for patron-selected themes that ranged from Ninjas and sports to twins, English bulldogs, Thailand, and even secret gardens.
Writing on a heavy steel Royal typewriter he found on top of a dumpster, Dave Lansburger, red-framed sunglasses hanging from his T-shirt, says he occasionally writes on the typewriter at home. “You think a little differently because you can’t hit the delete,” he said. And working at the library is “different than writing at home because you have an audience. It changes your writing process—in a good way.”
The tap, tap, tap of keys, the smell of typewriter ribbon, the ding of the bell, and the zip, clunk of a carriage return at the end of each line brought back memories of bygone days for those raised in a pre-computer age, and smiles from kids and parents who stopped in. The sounds reverberated through the library, but quickly became pleasant background noise as the poets worked all afternoon.
“Do you know what poetry is?” a young girl asked her older friend, pulling her over to the table with the typewriters and the artists. “It’s like . . . poems!”
Four of the six poets teach poetry or creative writing at Chicago-area colleges. The team included Kathleen Rooney, an author who teach poetry at DePaul University and whose first job was as a library page; Kenyatta Rogers, who teaches poetry, writing, and literature at Columbia College; Daniela Olszewska, who teaches creative writing at Oakton Community College; Eric Plattner, who teaches first-year writing and composition at DePaul University; Liz Hildreth, a writer for an educational company; and Dave Lansburger, poet. For more of their work, see their tumblr blog.
