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daveawl.bsky.social
Dave Awl
@daveawl.bsky.social
1.6K followers 1.9K following 2.3K posts
Writer/Performer in Chicago. Early Neo-Futurist. Once & future Pansy King. Host of the Partly Dave Show. Russell Hobanologist. Old New Waver, erstwhile DJ. GNC/Queer. He/Him. I fly through the dark and I sing with the bees. https://linktr.ee/daveawl
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daveawl.bsky.social
Yeah, I'll admit I didn't think I'd be able to see the aurora here in Chicago so was pretty shocked when I stepped out on my back porch
Painting from the cover of the 1970s Bantam Books edition of Dhalgren by Samuel R. Delany, showing a crumbling city landscape with a gigantic red-orange solar orb looming over it in a blood-red sky.
November 12, 2025 at 5:00 AM
daveawl.bsky.social
One my favorite photos from the book: Ursula K. Le Guin with her tabby Lorenzo in 1996. (He is the subject of several wonderful poems as well.) 3/3
Black and white photo that shows Ursula K. Le Guin sitting peacefully on a sofa or daybed, with a large tabby on her lap and a bookshelf next to her. Ursula and the cat each gaze in different directions, completely at ease in the feline-human bond. They are lit softly by a nearby window. The caption reads, Ursula with Lorenzo in 1996.
October 26, 2025 at 5:52 PM
daveawl.bsky.social
Book of Cats mini-review: As a Le Guin completist, I figured I’d be familiar with most of what’s in this collection. But it’s full of lovely surprises—including poems that are *not* included in the Collected Poems from LOA. The drawings alone are worth the price of admission, and ... 1/3 #BookSky
Book cover for Ursula K. Le Guin's Book of Cats, with ink-style illustration of the head of a black cat as seen from behind, with ears pointed up and whiskers sticking out.
October 26, 2025 at 5:52 PM
daveawl.bsky.social
Here's what a more complete Qobuz artist page looks like, once a profile pic and bio have been added ... not sure if that's something you can do through DistroKid or if you'd need direct access to Qobuz or what.
Qobuz artist page for the band James, showing profile pic, bio, popular tracks, and latest release as well as a similar artists listing in the right-hand column.
October 24, 2025 at 4:19 AM
daveawl.bsky.social
Here's what the artist profile page looks like ... this is just the "above the fold portion," of course. There are more releases visible if you keep scrolling down.
Screenshot of the Qobuz artist page for wordsSHIFTminds, listing various albums and showing their covers.
October 24, 2025 at 4:14 AM
daveawl.bsky.social
No trubba ... came right up on search.
Screenshot of a Qobuz page showing the results of a search for "wordsshiftminds" with various releases and tracks listed.
October 24, 2025 at 4:10 AM
daveawl.bsky.social
Scenes from the No Kings protest in Chicago's Edgewater neighborhood. Billed as a “senior friendly” event, but there were all ages there, including toddlers, packing the sidewalks. I saw one frog and a quorum of unicorns, but somehow the raccoon felt like the Chicago-est of the inflatable heroes.
Photo of a large crowd of people with signs standing along a sidewalk, including one person wearing a large inflatable raccoon costume. Photo of a crowd on a street corner. The group includes two rainbow-colored inflatable unicorns. Photo of a crowd walking in the street and carrying signs and flags, seen from behind. In the center of the photo are a couple, one of whom is wearing a cape that consists of a rainbow flag on a black background that also has the words We the People. Photo of a large crowd of people walking in the street and carrying signs, seen from behind. One sign says, Ice is for drinks, not Chicago.
October 18, 2025 at 9:45 PM
daveawl.bsky.social
Halloween costume goals: black heron, the Dracula of birds.

Via Wikipedia: “The black heron (Egretta ardesiaca), also known as the black egret, is an African heron. It uses its wings to form a canopy when fishing."

📸 by Derek Keats from Johannesburg, South Africa via Wikimedia Commons
Photo of a black heron taken at Marievale Nature Reserve, Gauteng, South Africa in 2018. It has entirely black feathers and a somewhat gothic demeanor. It's standing in shallow water and it has its wings arranged in a way that suggests a cape.
October 18, 2025 at 12:09 AM
daveawl.bsky.social
Met this little guy (apparently a juvenile yellow-crowned night heron) hanging out at the North Pond today.
Close-up view of the side of the face of what I think is a juvenile yellow-crowned night heron Full body view of what I think is a juvenile yellow-crowned night heron, with grass-like vegetation in the forefront and greenish water behind, in bright sunlight. Slightly more distant view of what I think is a juvenile yellow-crowned night heron lurking in the grasses at the edge of the pond. You can see the pattern of white markings on the brown body feathers. Another view of the alleged juvenile yellow-crowned night heron at the edge of the pond.
October 15, 2025 at 2:58 AM
daveawl.bsky.social
End of the route! Believe it or not, there is *still* time to sponsor me and help me hit my fundraising goal for this year's #AIDSRunWalkChicago if you'd like to. Here's the link: action.aidschicago.org/DaveAwl25
Me standing at the end of the route, wearing my black jacket, lime green t-shirt and turtle brooch, with the Finish banner behind me.
September 28, 2025 at 12:48 AM
daveawl.bsky.social
At the table for Mother and Child Alliance, with a couple of my teammates.
Three people smiling under a canopy. I'm in the center taking the selfie, with Linette to the left and Rosemary to the right.
September 28, 2025 at 12:48 AM
daveawl.bsky.social
I love this view of the skyline along the route.
A group of people walking along the lakefront in the sunshine, with the Chicago skyline visible ahead of them. Several wear team shirts for Mother and Child Alliance that say 25 years and still running on the back.
September 28, 2025 at 12:48 AM
daveawl.bsky.social
Two of my teammates with another sign I like ...
Two women seated in folding chairs under a canopy. Both are smiling and wearing team shirts for Mother and Child Alliance. One holds a sign that says Resist judgment. Restore faith and love. Renew hope.
September 28, 2025 at 12:48 AM
daveawl.bsky.social
More high spirits during the walk.
Iyesha and her young son pausing along the route. Iyesha flashes peace signs. Lots of other walkers are visible behind and around them.
September 28, 2025 at 12:48 AM
daveawl.bsky.social
Two more of the Sisters I met along the route.
Me wearing my black jacket and turtle brooch. Behind me are two of the Second City Sisters in drag, one on either side. There are trees and blue skies behind us.
September 28, 2025 at 12:48 AM
daveawl.bsky.social
My new friend Sister Maria Spanakopita, from the new-ish Chicago chapter of The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence: The Second City Sisters, Abbey of the Irreverent Bean.
Sister Maria Spanakopita poses along the route. She wears an elaborate bright red wimple slash headdress, a red top, black and white print skirt, and holds a cowbell.
September 28, 2025 at 12:48 AM
daveawl.bsky.social
Lots of signs at the walk this year.
A crowd of people walking along the lake with carrying signs with messages that include resist, restore, renew, run and walk for racial justice, and trans rights are human rights.
September 28, 2025 at 12:48 AM
daveawl.bsky.social
The light and the water were really dazzling and everyone was in good spirits.
A group of people walking along the lake, with bright blue water and sky. One person flashes a peace sign.
September 28, 2025 at 12:48 AM
daveawl.bsky.social
These three glamorous personages identified themselves as being from "The House of Potato."
Three people gloriously decked out in drag, smiling radiantly and standing behind a metal barricade at the start of the walk, with a sunny blue sky behind them.
September 28, 2025 at 12:48 AM
daveawl.bsky.social
Some of my fellow team members from @motherchild.bsky.social (Mother and Child Alliance), starting the walk in a festive mood.
A large group of people starting the walk, several wearing lime green team shirts for Mother and Child Alliance. A little girl is waving cheerily.
September 28, 2025 at 12:48 AM
daveawl.bsky.social
🧵 It was a glorious sunny day by the lake at #AIDSRunWalkChicago today, and I took a kerjillion photos. A few more of my favorite pics in the thread below.
Two smiling people at AIDS Run & Walk Chicago 2025, both wearing lime green team shirts under a canopy. I'm on the left wearing my turtle brooch. Next to me is Iyesha, wearing a colorful bandana.
September 28, 2025 at 12:48 AM
daveawl.bsky.social
Also on the menu: some lovely gold and purple autumn flowers. 3/3
A shot of the North Pond in Chicago on an overcast, misty day. There are golden wildflowers along the shore, a black wrought-iron fence in the foreground, and tall buildings in the distance. An expanse of tall golden wildflowers, punctuated by a group of purple flowers, all under a grey sky, with a placard that reads Elizabeth Plotnick Tallgrass Prairie. A stand of bright purple blossoms contrasting nicely with the surrounding greenery. A group of black-eyed Susans.
September 24, 2025 at 2:44 AM
daveawl.bsky.social
And I got to spend a few minutes being placidly watched by turtles, including this curious red-eared slider. 2/3
A red-eared slider turtle poking its head out of green water, with semicircular ripples around it.
September 24, 2025 at 2:44 AM
daveawl.bsky.social
It was greyish, misty sort of day at the North Pond in Chicago, but I caught a trio of geese in flight above the nearby buildings; I like their dramatic silhouettes. 1/3
Three geese flying in a cloudy grey sky, above a shadowy, slightly gothic looking group of apartment buildings.
September 24, 2025 at 2:44 AM
daveawl.bsky.social
There are just a few days left till this year's #AIDSRunWalkChicago on Saturday 9/27, and I'm once again walking on the team for @motherchild.bsky.social.

If you'd like to sponsor me, here's the link: action.aidschicago.org/DaveAwl25

Huge thanks to everyone who's already chipped in!
Photo of Dave in front of the starting line banner at AIDS Run & Walk Chicago in 2024. He is wearing a lime-green team shirt for Mother and Child Alliance, under a black blazer with a little ocelot brooch on the lapel, just because.
September 22, 2025 at 7:37 PM