July 2026 (From Substack)

The masked poet: what's that thing on my face??

Disabled artists screaming from the margins

Jun 02, 2026

A double life

The vast majority of people encounter my on-demand poetry stand outdoors: at quaint art market under the trees, on a breezy rooftop with the skyline behind me, or on the rushing downtown of Michigan Avenue. I like performing under the open sky because of the open air.

If you catch me performing indoors, I probably have a face covering. Why is that?

I wear a KN95 under my sparkly over-mask—because we all need a little glitter in our lives, right?

Cheekiness aside, body doesn’t work too good. I have a laundry list of conditions affecting my connective tissues, autonomic nervous system, and immune system. I really can’t afford to get sick. If I get COVID again I could get permanent brain fog, become wheel-chair bound, or just end up straight dead.

None of which sound particularly appealing, my good dudes.

One time a very nice old man got a poem from me in the Hilton ballroom. He asked me if to remove my mask so he could “see my pretty smile.”

As kindly as I could, I said “I’ve got an autoimmune condition, and if I get sick I could die. I’d rather not.”

He paused for a moment, then said, “Alrighty then,” and walked off with his poem.

I still feel kind of bad about that.

I have two sparkly over-masks: one is black, and one is white. I try my best to coordinate with whatever the outfit du jour calls for. I wear at least two strings of pearls on a given gig so my fabulous-ness will, perhaps, distract people from asking me to take it off.

Sometimes, people still ask me to take it off.

A mask is a relatively innocuous piece of fabric over my mouth & nose that allows me to keep plunging into the world and working as a full-time artist.

I know it’s a visual reminder of a time we would rather forget, but for many of us the necessity never went away. And I’m gonna keep creating art with it and about it anyway, because I’m annoying like that.

News and updates

First off, I HAVE A NEW MACHINE. I’ll be revealing it on Instagram. Suffice to say it’s looking to be my new workhorse this street performance season, and it’s got beautiful glass keys.

My lyric essay “Shaming my ex with the help of Meryl Streep: an album review” was accepted into the Pine Hills Review! They usually take seven to nine months of lead time to publish, so that’ll be coming out early next year.

This month’s premium post is on the topic of rejection. It’s titled “Everyone is rejecting my writing—and why that’s a good thing.” I talk about the disparate realities between the world of traditional publishing and the world of typewriter poetry. It’s a deep-dive into rejection, and radical acceptance. Consider upgrading if you want to take a look.

Finally, I have written a piece over at Nichiren Shu Buddhist Sangha of Chicago for their June newsletter. The piece talks about burnout, Right Effort, and the “why” people choose to meditate—and what meditation is actually for.

Upcoming Appearances

Magnificent Mile Spring Arts Fest, May 30, 2026, (10am-5pm)
Magnificent Mile Spring Arts Fest, May 31, 2026, (10am-5pm)
NEOCON Trade Show Activation at Merchandise Mart, June 7, 2026 (12pm-4pm)
NEOCON Trade Show Activation at Merchandise Mart, June 8, 2026 (9pm-5pm)
NEOCON Trade Show Activation at Merchandise Mart, June 9, 2026 (9pm-5pm)
NEOCON Trade Show Activation at Merchandise Mart, June 10, 2026 (9pm-3pm)
Annual Team Event for Roland Berger LP at The Bell, June 11, 2026 (7pm-10pm)
Poetry Brothel Pride Show, Life is a Cabaret @ Chicago Theater Works in Lakeview, June 12, 2026 (7pm-11pm)
Annual Team Offsite Event for Roland Berger LP @ The Bell, June 11, 2026 (7-10pm)
Literary Popup Event (Chesterton IN), details TBA, June 13, 2026
Arts on Sheridan, June 14, 2026 (10am-5pm)
Millennium Art Festival, June 27, 2026 (10am-5pm)
Millennium Art Festival, June 28, 2026 (10am-5pm)

What’s Kro working on?

I have found a home for the Poetry Box!! Now I just have to make some finishing touches to the inside, and figure out some hardware for installation. But this art installation has been gestating since I saw its counterpart in Greece in 2024, and I can’t wait to bring this read-a-poem-leave-a-poem box to Chicagoland. More details to come.

What’s Kro reading?

In honor of AAPI month (and at the request of my partner), I’ve been reading Mott Street. It’s a fascinating work of creative nonfiction that twines through genealogy and government documents and the Chinese Exclusion Act. There’s so much you don’t know until you start looking—and this book takes a long hard look.

What is Kro up to right now?