Philadelphia’s Dream Poet For Hire | Speedify LIVE

On the 122nd episode of Speedify LIVE we are joined in the studio by the Dream Poet for Hire himself, Marshall James Kavanaugh, a published author we’ve met on an IRL stream before, who has been featured in the news on ABC News, Fox29, the Inquirer, and more.

We discuss many things: how you can still get a working typewriter, overcoming writer’s block, how poetry events work, and even get a poem of our own about livestreaming!  

Here are our 5 takeaways from our chat with Marshall James Kavanaugh:

1. Marshall uses a Smith Corona Skywriter for most of his IRL poetry, and thanks to the two typewriter stores in Philly, he has no issues with its upkeep! Philly Typewriter and WPM Typewriter Shop are two stores where you can find whatever you need for your typewriter of choice. 
2. The Dream Poet for Hire is also a published author! His book, Travel by Haiku was released in 2021, and is a collection of haikus co-written by Marshall and a couple other poets he traveled with, as well as a few short narrative stories he wrote during three separate road trips. 
3. When it comes to writer’s block, Marshall says it came more in the form of impostor syndrome in his case. When he questioned why he gets to do what he does, he answered himself with “Who cares?” and realized he is writing for fun, for himself, and because his purpose is to be a writer. 
4. Marshall has taken part in many poetry events! Most recently he was part of the WAP Party, curated by big names like Yolanda Wisher and Cynthia Dewi Oka! For the event, Marshall created seed paper which people could then plant and native wildflowers would grow from it, like the poems that grow from the authors.
5. Apart from being an author and poet, Marshall is also venturing into documentary-making! He is working on a documentary following and exploring the towns where different poets grew up and places where they spent their time.