John Paul Davis
My name is John Paul Davis. I write poetry, build things on the web with code, make music and visual art. I love making things. This website is mostly about the things I make and do.
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Climbing A Burning Rope
My second book of poetry, published by University Of Pittburgh Press, is out now. Inasmuch as poems can be “about” something, the book is largely about what it’s like to work in our economic system and society, what Vanessa Machado de Oliveria called “coloniality modernity” and Martin Pulcher calls our “resource-extracting way of life” and what almost everyone calls “capitalism.” I began writing it when I was working for The Largest Advertising Agency In The World - the absurdities and Kafkaesque systems of such a large company had me reflecting on my history as a worker. Over the decades I’ve had all manner of interesting jobs, partly because when I was growing up my family was poor. Not homeless-poor or shoeless outhouse poor, but definitely below the poverty line, drinking-powdered-milk, me-wearing-hand-me-downs-from-my-sister, had-no-health-insurance, one-paycheck-away-from-distaster poor... Continue Reading Climbing A Burning Rope
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Owed To An Outdoor Music Festival
About 2 weeks ago I was asked by one of my favorite bands, Over The Rhine, to compose a poem to inaugurate this year's Nowhere Else Festival, and then to read it... Continue Reading Owed To An Outdoor Music Festival
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New Music and Poetry for early 2021
Today will be the first really warm day of spring, and therefore of this year. My morning walk through Fort Tryon Park was a foggy one, as if the curtain of winter were being raised, set to an uproar of birdsong. Yesterday I listened to the new President give his first press c... Continue Reading New Music and Poetry for early 2021
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Sweet Sixteen
I designed and built the previous version of this site, its fifteenth, in early 2017. At the time, my book of poems, Crown Prince Of Rabbits, was about to be published, and I wanted to refit the site to promote the book and invite readers to explo... Continue Reading Sweet Sixteen
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6 poems published in Quaranzine Club
I have 6 poems in the multi-genre journal Quaranzine Club: "Dark Mode," "Quarantine Days," "Ode To The Sink Full Of Dirty Dishes At 6AM," "Smaller & Smaller," "Quarantine Voices," and "Poem To Be Recited While Washing My Hands". Continue Reading 6 poems published in Quaranzine Club
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"Headphones" published in Another Chicago Magazine
My poem "Headphones" was published in Another Chicago Magazine. Continue Reading "Headphones" published in Another Chicago Magazine
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"Selfie" published in Salamander 46
My poem "Selfie" was published in issue 46 of Salamander, which does not an publish online edition. While I recommend buying a copy of the issue (or subscribing!) . Continue Reading "Selfie" published in Salamander 46
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"Robot" published in Blue Earth Review
My poem "Robot" appears in the Fall 2017 issue of Blue Earth Review, which does not publish an online edition. While I highly recommend buying the issue (or subscribing!), you can see a photo of the poem here. Continue Reading "Robot" published in Blue Earth Review
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2 Poems published in No, Dear
My poems "Merger" and "Idle" appear in Issue 20 of No, Dear which does not publish an online edition. While of course I highly recommend purchasing a copy of the excellent issue (or subscribing!), you can see a photo of "Merger" here and you can see a photo of "Idle" here. Continue Reading 2 Poems published in No, Dear
