Friday’s Weekly Round-Up – 47


The People’s Library, Occupy Wall Street

We refer you to our earlier postings – here and here – but Allen’s spirit continues to be present in the continuing (global) Occupy Wall Street protests. The inevitable “op ed” header has appeared (Austin Allen on Big Think) – “What Would Allen Ginsberg Think of Occupied Wall Street?” – (Claudio Willer and Eduardo Mora Basart have similar musings, in Spanish, here and here). Here‘s Aaron Kravig reciting “America” (complete with ambient sound and hand-held camera) on-site. Here’s an earlier article, in case you missed it, on “The Occupy Wall Street Library” (Poet/librarian, Betsy Fagin is quoted – “She has seen”, the author notes, “a couple of people reading Allen Ginsberg’s Howl (and) Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass, and has noticed that the manga is flying off the shelves”).

Last week, we sung the praises of Dangerous Minds. We find ourselves doing so again. Never an inopportune moment to point to the wayward genius that was Harry Smith. Our Harry Smith page, (another of our “birthday (death-day?) tributes”), is accessible here.

Also last week, noting Howl (movie)’s African opening. Here’s two reviews – Kavish Chetty‘s and Shaun De Waal‘s. Over a hundred reviews of the movie now up on Rotten Tomatoes – World-wide, the movie continues to garner mostly positive feedback.

Speaking of old reviews, don’t think we passed this on – The Economist review of Donny Mather’s recent staging (as a one-man show) of “Kaddish (or The Key in the Window)”), directed by Kim Weild for the Adaptations Project.

In Charleroi, Belgium, this weekend, “Howl” will be the basis of a new dance/performance piece

Is it too late to take note of Denise Behrens and her group of enthusiasts in Iowa City conducting (last weekend) a “Public Outdoor Reading of Allen Ginsberg’s Howl” ? (asserting the right to free speech). Well, we guess that it is!

Claire Askew’s Starry Rhymes Ginsberg anthology (previously noted here) gets a review (by Chris Emslie in “Sabotage – Reviews of the Ephemeral”.

Beatitude (the novel, not the magazine!) – by Larry Closs, is now out (more details here from the publisher, Rebel Satori Press). The book features, intriguingly, “two previously unpublished poems by Allen”.

2 comments

  1. I am so sorry to be writing this first- but that picture- as nice as it may look, feels like someone drove a knife right into the centre of my heart! Why would anyone have to write on the spine of the books? You could maybe have a Big Red R written on the first page of the book with a permanent marker. Or use a different sticker to indicate that the book cannot be checked out! I am sorry- but those writings on the book's spine was just too much to bear!

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