For the past couple of weekends street poet Henry David Goldkamp (above) has taken his typewriter project, What the Hell is Saint Louis Thinking, outdoors. Two weekends ago he put typewriter stations at the Grand Basin in Forest Park, and last Saturday, Henry placed eight mostly-vintage models around the Maryland Plaza Fountain.
Saturday's exercise started out to be much like a skit from the old Candid Camera. Without fail, Henry said, everyone who came upon the scene went straight to the one typewriter with a stuck key—and he had forgotten WD-40. I volunteered to run home to get some, and the poet was able to make the necessary repair.
Throughout the month of August you'll find typewriters at many locations around town, including 10denza on Maryland Plaza and Libby's on McPherson. If you missed your chance to tap out the next great American novel on Saturday, you can stop in either shop during store hours and get started.
When I talked to Henry on Saturday he was most excited about the typewriters he's placed in people's homes, where he figures people will be more free to type what's on their minds. Each typewriter will be passed along to neighbors and friends until the end of the month. As mentioned in an earlier post, What the Hell is Saint Louis Thinking? will be published into a book later on.
Henry plans to set up typewriters in different neighborhoods over the next two weekends. Contact him through his website to find out where he's headed next: fresh poetry ink. The typewriter project ends August 31.