Beat Generation & Literary Community News Items

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Call and Response: The Ekphrastic Impulse in Poetry Workshop with Nate Pritts April 26 and 27, 2008. Bellows, VT. We all have a natural tendency to react to the happenings around us. Poets work to distill this reaction and use it to motivate their own work. This inspiration can sometimes take the form of ekphrastic writing -- a fancy Greek term that is used today to indicate a work of art that has been generated in response to another work of art. In this intensive workshop, participants will interpret that term a little more broadly, to mean a poem that is generated in direct response to something (anything) where those traces are still pronounced in the finished piece. Through studying models (poems generated in response to paintings, other poems, songs, etc.), exercises (aimed at firing the transmitters in your brain to create riffs of all kinds), and direct pairing with visual artists as they produce, participants will find themselves more open to the varied impulses that surround all of us, while encouraging a more open receptivity to all forms of "art." Nate has his M.F.A. in Poetry from Warren Wilson College and his PhD in Creative Writing and British Romanticism from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. His first full length book of poems was Sensational Spectacular (BlazeVOX) and his second book, Honorary Astronaut, is forthcoming from Ghost Road Press in 2008. His poems and essays have appeared in many journals, both print and online, including The Southern Review, Gulf Coast, Cimarron Review, Court Green, and Rain Taxi. The editor and sole shareholder of H_NGM_N, an online journal of poetry, poetics and etcetera. Nate lives in Natchitoches, Louisiana with his family, where he works in advertising. For more information about this workshop, please see: Ekphrastic Impulse

Celebration of WAY MORE WEST: Selected Poems of Edward Dorn Thursday, April 17 at 8pm @ The Gold Mine Saloon 17 Poets! Literary & Performance Series, www.17poets.com 701 Dauphine St., corner of Dauphine and St. Peter New Orleans, Louisiana Call 504-568-9125 Readers include: Jennifer Dorn, Michael Rothenberg, Andrei Codrescu, Terri Carrion, Dave Brinks, Bill Lavender, Joel Daily, Nancy Dixon, and Kelly Mathews. Click the book photo above to buy the book at Amazon.

Release Celebration: The Collected Poems of Philip Whalen Beyond Baroque Saturday, February 23rd, 7:30 PM 681 Venice Blvd. Venice, CA Contact: 310-822-3006 A reading of Whalen's works by prominent poets including David Meltzer, Aram Saroyan, Paul Vangelisti, Terri Carrion, Neeli Cherkovski, Phoebe Ozuna, and Michael Rothenberg. $7 admission; $5 for members Click the book photo above to buy the book at Amazon.

CELEBRATION OF PHILIP WHALEN: The Beat Tradition at Reed College Saturday, March 29, 2008 Introduction by Pancho Savery and overview of library archives by Gay Walker. A reading of Whalen's work by prominent poets including David Meltzer, David Abel, Hammond Guthrie, Stanworth Beckler, Mose Lenske, Rodney Koeneke, Jules Boykoff, Kaia Sand, and Lindsay Hill. There will also be an exhibit of Whalen-related archives in the Reed College Library. Eliot Chapel at Reed College 3203 SE Woodstock Blvd. Portland, OR www.reed.edu

Max Douglas - Poet: Information Sought Scholars are working on audio-documentary about poet Max Douglas (1949-1970). They've already interviewed a number of people, and are especially interested in establishing contact with Douglas's sister Linda. Any leads in contacting her would be greatly appreciated. Find out more about this project & how you can help...

Rik Lina

Release Celebration:
The Collected Poems of Philip Whalen

The Poetry Project at St. Mark's Church
Wednesday, February 6th, 8PM
131 E. 10th Street, New York City
212-674-0910; info@poetryproject.com

Participants include Ron Padgett, Anne Tardos, David Meltzer, Anne Waldman, Anselm Berrigan, Suzi Winson, Jim Koller, Ammiel Alcalay, Wanda Phipps, Lewis Warsh, John Coletti, Simon Pettet, Charles Bernstein, and Michael Rothenberg

To learn more about the book, The Collected Poems of Philip Whalen, or to purchase it at a discount, just click the book cover above.

---

The mountain is THERE (between two lakes)
I brought back a piece of its rock
Heavy dark-honey color
With a seam of crystal, some of the quartz
Stained by its matrix
Practically indestructible
A shift from opacity to brilliance
(The Zenbos say, "Lightning-flash & flint-spark") Like the mountains where it was made

What we see of the world is the mind's
Invention and the mind
Though stained by it, becoming
Rivers, sun, mule-dung, flies—
Can shift instantly
A dirty bird in a square time

Gone
Gone
REALLY gone
Into the cool
O MAMA!

Like they say, "Four times up,
Three times down." I'm still on the mountain.

— Philip Whalen, from Sourdough Mountain Lookout

Fire at A.D. Winans' Apt.

A.D. Winans writes:

Basically a fire broke out in kitchen 10 days ago and heat in walls was so intense that it pretty much toasted my apartment and I will not be able to move back in for estimated 3/4 months. Spent a week with brother and now next 3 weeks with sister. Will begin next week looking into trying to find short term rental situation. Not easy, as my rent control payment was $970 a month and non rent control housing here in the city is outrageous, and most places will not rent month to month. I will eventually find something. I have asked PEN for emergency assistance. They next meet on March l5, I believe.

I can't begin to tell you how amazed I am at the support I have received. There have been offers to hold benefit readings, offers of clothes, staying with people for several days or so, and a few cash contributions people sent me. And some publishers have said they will send me copies of books that I lost in the mail. It was devasting to lose so many of my books, mags with my work in them, my entire art collection, and five years of correspondence that was going to my Brown archives this spring. Stuff that can not be replaced.

I will have access to email while at my sister's home, but may be slow in responding. There is so much to do and my back is acting up from all the lifting and carrying of what I could salvage to store in my garage.

Thanks to all of you for your support and kind thoughts and wishes during this trying time in my life.

A.D. Winans (aka: Al) moc.orezten@6002recnadwols

Empty Mirror News

photos & vintage goods

Empty Mirror Books is currently adding photos of nearly every book in stock. This huge undertaking should be finished by end of February 2008.

Our new website, Psychedelicat Vintage Goods will also launch in this year (you can take a peek now, though.) It's there that we'll be selling vintage non-book items: home decor, music & guitar gear, jewelry, accessories, and other cool stuff from the 1950s, 60s & 70s - even Beatnik items. Stay tuned!

Book, CD & DVD Releases

Bohemian New Orleans: The Story of the Outsider and Loujon Press

Jeff Weddle's book, Bohemian New Orleans: The Story of the Outsider and Loujon Press, will be published in June by the University Press of Mississippi.

It's already available for pre-order at Amazon.com and a number of other internet booksellers.

In 1960, Jon Edgar and Louise "Gypsy Lou" Webb founded Loujon Press on Royal Street in New Orleans's French Quarter. The Outsider, the press's literary review, featured, among others, Charles Bukowski, Allen Ginsberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Robert Creeley, Denise Levertov, and Walter Lowenfels. Loujon published books by Henry Miller and two early poetry collections by Bukowski. Bohemian New Orleans traces the development of this courageous imprint and examines its place within the small press revolution of the 1960s.

Drawing on correspondence from many who were published in the Outsider, back issues of the Outsider, contemporary reviews, promotional materials, and interviews, Jeff Weddle shows how the press's mandarin insistence on production quality and its eclectic editorial taste made its work nonpareil among peers in the underground. Throughout, Bohemian New Orleans reveals the messy, complex, and vagabond spirit of a lost literary age.

GV6 The Odyssey DVD Released

GV6 THE ODYSSEY DVD examines and reveals the truth behind 31 multi-ethnic award-winning published and respected poets and their poetic creations in a seamlessly woven, uniquely honest visual tapestry. Defly guided by multi-award winning filmmaker Bob Bryan, GV6 synthesizes one-on-one poetry readings, graphic iconography, creative insights, and dramatic poignant interviews. Featured poets include Wanda Coleman, Kamau Daaood, Catherine Daly, Suzanne Lummis, Jim Natal, Steve Goldman, Aleida Rodriguez, and two dozen others. Find out more, or buy the DVD

Drugs & the Beats:

John Long's book, "Drugs & the Beats" has been recently published. In this fascinating and informative exploration of the relationship between drugs and literature, the reader will discover the lives and writings of three celebrated 'beat' writers: Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and William S. Burroughs. In examining the drugs they used and the consequent effects on how they lived, what they wrote about, and how they wrote, the author offers an intriguing study of the role of drugs in the creative process. To learn more, read an excerpt or buy the book visit John Long.com or Amazon.com

Beat Angel Film Released on DVD

On the 30th anniversary of his own death, the spirit of Jack Kerouac returns to Earth in the abandoned body of a street bum and transforms the lives of three people. This award-winning film features scenes filmed on Desolation Peak and stars Vincent Balestri, renowned for his long-running one-man play, Kerouac: The Essence of Jack. Kerouac's first wife, Edie Parker coached Balestri in Jack's voice and mannerisms. David Amram says, "Beat Angel will, like Pull My Daisy, find its own audience and enter into the tiny repertoire of films made about our spirit and our Era that will last."
Beat Angel is available at Amazon.com or BeatAngel.com.

Bill Ectric book translated into German

Bill Ectric's collection, Time Adjusters & Other Stories, has been translated into German by Hamburg "DharmaDada" artist Erni Bär, with the title Kerouacs Rolle. It's described as "Nine high voltage doses of mystery, science fiction, and the bizarre, with alternating currents of vision and satire." The book takes its title from one of the stories in the collection, Cut Up (The Stolen Scroll), a tale about the theft of a Jack Kerouac manuscript and a secret message that turns deadly when subjected to poetic cut-ups in the style of William S. Burroughs. Learn more or purchase Kerouacs Rolle...

Literary News

A.D. Winans

A.D. Winans has been awarded the PEN Josephine Miles Literary Achievement Award for his book, This Land Is Not My Land. Book award ceremonies were held at the Oakland Main Library on December 3, 2006. Check out A.D. Winans' new website, too.

Indie Coffeehouse Directory

Indie Coffeehouse Arts Directory has just launched. Its goal is to help creative folk of all stripes get the word out about their art, and to help people get tuned into the best creative talent. Categories include Beat Generation, ezines, visual & performing arts, music, literature, and much more. List your website for free.

Past News & Events

Check out what went down before.

Obituaries

Oh, it's been a rough few months...too many fine poets gone...

Online tributes / information pages are in progress for the following poets (as well as some others. If you have thoughts, memories, photographs, art, reviews, or other material to contribute, please get in touch.

Alan Ansen

We've just heard that Alan Ansen passed away in Athens on November 12. A page about Ansen is in progress.

Mario Cesariny

Portuguese Surrealist poet/painter Mario Cesariny passed away on November 19 at his home in Lisbon.

Lawrence McGaugh

We're sorry to report that Bay Area poet Lawrence McGaugh, author of "A Fifth Sunday" and several other books, passed away on July 26, at 10:30 a.m. Pacific Standard Time.

Third Mind - An evening of Rock and Roll and Hip Hop Inspired by the Cut-up technique of William Burroughs

On Sat 4/14/2007 at 9PM, New York musical Artists David Aaronand Adriano Morez along with WaxMachine will be doing a special show at the Brooklyn Lyceum that will include works inspired by the cut-up technique of legendary author William Burroughs.

The Cut Up Technique, a literary device in which pages of unrelated text are cut up and then juxtaposed in order to suggest new and unexpected meaning, has been utilized in art and literature for over 50 years. It is most often associated with Beat writer William Burroughs who considered it a form of divination: "When you cut word lines the future leaks out." Modern musical practitioners of cut-up include David Bowie, Patti Smith, Radiohead and many others.

Aaron, Morez, and Wax Machine will be setting up "containers" where in the weeks preceding the performance date anyone can enter text or voice responses to three questions posed by the event's producer. The contents of these responses will them be "cut-up" by the artists in advance of the performance and the resulting new words and sounds will form the basis of new songs and hip hop pieces. This will be an opportunity for the audience to experience hearing themselves represented in what will be going on on-stage. The groups will also be performing some of their more traditional material.

Anyone interested in contributing their words or voice to the mix can do so by:

1. Visiting www.davidaaron.net/cutup.html - here you can type your responses to the questions and submit them anonymously via the web
   OR
   
2. Dialing 646-417-5673 and leaving an anonymous voicemail in response to the audio prompts.

Concert Info: Saturday April 14, 2007, 9PM Starring David Aaron and Adriano Morez with WaxMachine - Brooklyn Lyceum, 227 Fourth Avenue, Brooklyn, NY

Monday, March 5th: Readings from Golden Handcuffs Magazine

Editor Lou Rowan will MC this event featuring contributors David Bromige, Laynie Browne, Richard Denner, Michael McClure, David Meltzer, and Michael Rothenberg.

The reading starts at 7:30pm.

For more information, contact: Moe's Books, 2476 Telegraph Avenue Berkeley CA 94704. Main store: (510) 849-2087

Beat Generation & Beyond Conference, Nov. 4

The John Natsoulas Gallery is hosting the 5th annual Beat Generaton and Beyond conference on November 4th. Free, but registration is necessary. Visit the Natsoulas Gallery website for details and to register.

Allen Ginsberg HOWL 50th Anniversary Celebration, Nov. 1

A celebration of the 50th anniversary of the first publication of Allen Ginsberg's iconic poem, HOWL, will take place in the Hall at the Artworkers Guild in London, November 1, 2006.

In addition to a reading of HOWL on stage, Adrian Mitchell, Aidan Andrew Dun , Michael Horovitz, and Joe Duggan will read their poetry. The films 'Wholly Communion' and 'Ginsberg Live in London' will also be screened. Download the flyer for this event or visit the Allen Ginsberg DVD site for more details!

Dick McBride - Words in Motion

Dick McBride will be headlining the "Words In Motion" stage at the Big Chill Festival in Eastnor Deer Park, Herefordshire, UK, at 1pm, Sunday August 6th.

Friend and poet-in-arms with Kerouac, Ginsberg, Ferlinghetti, Brautigan et al, McBride spent years working at the famous City Lights Bookshop in San Francisco & is now resident in England.

He recently collaborated with Worcestershire based musicians, Celluloid, on the "Last Beat" project, a live and recorded performance project that recieved airplay on BBC Radio 3's "The Late Junction."

His latest work presents an uplifting reminder of the transcendent thrills of the Beat Generation mixed with a maturity hard earned during a long and colourful life.

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