Empty Mirror Books - Beat Generation home

Pete Winslow - Letters

Letter from Conroy Maddox to Pete Winslow

This fantastic illustrated letter to Pete Winslow from the English Surrealist
artist Conroy Maddox, is dated 1971,
the year before Winslow died.

Click small images for a larger view.

Thanks for Marcus Williamson for contributing these photos.

Letters to a friend

Pete wrote the following 2 letters to Don, an old friend in Seattle.

letter postmarked July 23, 1970

sometime late central july

dear don:
like i am zonked and cant sleep i guess you'll understand that. i have just been with a cat who talks of fats navarro and bud powell because he knew them and played with them. He hears what fats could do and hardly anybody even dares think like that. Don the day hardly goes by but what I think of you. are you together? My poetry is caught on fire and burns up all the weekends and sears the holidays with charred moments and the murderers all in a row because death will take its holiday on the monday after. I'm really awfully drunk. I think of you like this. and hope that the floor has stopped swimming. poet and beer and wine and lots of food and hash and vodka and the eyes of bedlam flashing. Remember? Tell them in seattle that the eyes I kindled are still biting. read lamantia; my words are imprisoned in his poems. Spinning down with words caught in me. good bye foreign words for going down dancing

pete

YOU GOTTA PAY SOME DUES

you do

a few

Christmas card postmarked December 22, 1970

A Christmas tree cut from red foil graces the cover of this card; a handwritten note inside explains, "cover made by 3rd graders after school." A typewritten seven-line poem is pasted inside, to serve as the card's sentiment:

Today I sawed down a tree for Christmas
It was for Peter I had to do it
First time I ever did my own dirty work
Thirty-seven trees a young forest
Some of them would be huge by now
Well there are plenty left
It's a generous world

Dear Don -
     Hope the bike business is making it. The poetry business is speeding up a little - I finally met Ginsberg and Ferlinghetti recently - remember how they were our gods?
     Think about you a lot. Wish we could sit in some tar for about 12 hrs and talk it all out...
     [arrow to poem at left] This typewriter was rented by me to set type for the next book. I know I promised to send my poems, and I will when the book comes out. Course you don't exactly burn up the mails yourself.
     You know who I think abt a lot? John Belford. Wonder what ever happened to him -- which is still a good title.
     The new one is
MUMMY TAPES

Pete Jane &
Peter

hope this gets there
damned if i can remember yr address

letter postmarked July 10, 1972

july 10 or so

dear don:
this is just a note to inform you i received your package of goodies the day after getting operated on to have my ulcer and a goodly part of my stomach removed. it made me feel better, but not enough so's you'd notice it. I will be in seattle for my 20th reunion from q.a. on august 4 and hope i have a chance to see you. that's all for now. i'm keeping it short because i'm still pretty sore.

love,
pete

ps: couldn't get into the book. too superficial, seemed like he was trying too hard. but thanks.

Gratitude
Many thanks to Marcus Williamson for photos of the Maddox-Winslow letter, and to S. Tierney for generously supplying the rest of the information on this page.

Comments?
Please email Denise if you have comments about this webpage or would like to contribute information about Pete Winslow.