Two weeks since the last “weekly round-up”, so let’s get right down to it. First, to sing the praises of a wonderful essay by “our own” Steve Silberman, (see earlier contributions here and here) – “Ginsberg’s Failure” – his contribution to the second issue of the new Long Shot cyber-experiment (“submitted to, compiled, edited, and published, all within the space of 48 hours”) – not to be confused – tho’ it inevitably will be, on occasions, with – the fondly-remembered Eliot Katz-Danny Shot-edited, New Jersey-based Long Shot magazine.
Allen’s 1980 poem, “Ode To Failure“, referenced in the piece, can be read on-line here.
Autostraddle has some thoughtful follow-up opinions here.
“If music be the food of love, play on”, Allen’s long-time musical accompanist, collaborator, friend, dedicatee, “Fug”, “False Prophet”, etc, etc.. Steven Taylor, is charmingly featured in this “music video”, part of a longer, proposed film project) by Anthony Sepulveda – Steven sings (and records) his artfully-named “Hymn to Dementia”
Iovis is out. Anne Waldman‘s epic work from Coffee House Press – see here
(See here for an interview with Anne about the trilogy
Nanao Sakaki – we can never say enough about Nanao Sakaki!
Lew Welch – we hear an expanded edition of Ring of Bone – The Collected Poems of Lew Welch is due out from City Lights next year.
& another book we’re looking forward to – By Word of Mouth – Poems from the Spanish 1916-1919, William Carlos Williams‘ translations of Spanish and Latin American poets. More about that title (from New Directions) here.
Belatedly noticing the recent Miguel Algarin benefit in New York (here‘s Miguel, and the extraordinary Miguel Pinero, back in the ’70’s (from their 1978 reading at NAROPA)
Jay Landesman’s death was noted on this blog early this year. We now sadly note the passing of his widow, Fran Landesman (Jack Kerouac really did play bongos outside her window!). Here’s her New York Times obituary – and here’s another fond and detailed notice here ( – and another one here).
Ariel Parkinson‘s 1955 portrait, “Ginsberg at 25” was just one of a number of rare and interesting paintings on show recently at Sue Steel’s Mythos Gallery in Berkeley – Poets and Painters of the First San Francisco Renaissance,
Here’s a note about Berkeley’s magical Allen Ginsberg Garden.
Percy Bysshe Shelley‘s birthday yesterday, Diane di Prima‘s tomorrow. (We’ll have more on that tomorrow) and more “Spiritual Poetics” (hope that you’ve all been following that), starting next week.