Vancouver Poetry Conference 1963


Jerry Heiserman (later Sufi “Hassan”), the late “Red” a poet, Allen Ginsberg, Bobbie Louise Hawkins Creeley, Warren Tallman, Robert Creeley above Charles Olson, left to right top rows; seated left Thomas Jackrell then student poet, Philip Whalen & Don Allen anthologist & Postmodern Poetics editor, last days of Vancouver Poetry Conference late July 1963, car parked in front of host professor Tallman’s house — he’d sent me a ticket to come back from a year and half in India for the assembly — which included Robert Duncan and Denise Levertov. (c. Allen Ginsberg Estate)

Robert Creeley, Vancouver, July 1963. c. Allen Ginsberg Estate

The legendary Vancouver Poetry Conference was held July 26 through August 16th, 1963. Allen had been in India for 18 months, and quite broke, so Robert Creeley had arranged for the festival to fly him back to North America. Participants included Creeley, (Charles) Olson, Robert Duncan Denise Levertov, Philip Whalen, Bobbie Louise Hawkins and Margaret Avison among many others. The entire series of readings and lectures were recorded and are now available online through the Slought Foundation

2 comments

  1. As “regular readers” might remember, we led off our “Friday Weekly Round-Up”, in March of last year (March 15, 2013) with notes and a report on “The Line Has Shattered” – see here
    https://allenginsberg.org/2013/03/friday-weekly-round-up-117.html
    & see also the announcement and posting on Bobbie Louise Hawkins’ home movies
    https://allenginsberg.org/2014/01/fridays-weekly-round-up-163.html
    selections from which are featured in the film

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