Eric Liebetrau opens his review of The Fall of America Journals for Kirkus (‘An American Road Trip With Allen Ginsberg‘) with a description of Allen by Tom Robbins
“A hot-wired sutra slinger, a Vendantic versifier, a Wurlitzer of howling meat drunk on holy quarters, Ginsberg – invoking the eternal within the ephemeral, wholeheartedly celebrating paradox and confusion as the fundamental fluids in which the human condition hangs suspended (thereby refining our base dissatisfactions into the more luminous chemistry of acceptance, compassion, goofiness, and grief) – Ginsberg had the capacity to cast a net of enchantment around nearly everything in life.”
“Prolix? Perhaps.”, Liebetrau notes, “But Robbins has been accused of worse, and I think it’s an apt linguistic encapsulation of Ginsberg and his life’s work—a near-mythic aura that is on abundant display in the latest collection of Ginsberg’s work”, which he describes as “far more than just a background study.”
The new issue of Kevin Ring’s invaluable Beat Scene has arrived – here’s issue #98 (with Gary Snyder on the cover) – Copies can be ordered direct from kevbeatscene@gmail.com
Remembering Michael McClure – Charles S Goldman, actor and poster artist for the Magic Theatre in Berkeley, remembers him – here
Coming soon from City Lights (publication date, April 23, next year actually)- Mule Kick Blues 
“This legendary rockstar eco-poet’s gemlike modal structures will keep humming while ‘black ants circle a bubble of honey.’ A final performance from a master poet.”, writes Anne Waldman
Mule Kick Blues, McClure’s final book of poems was readied for publication shortly before the poet’s death in May 2020, edited by poet Garrett Caples. We look forward to it with great interest.
Timothy Leary – and Joanna Harcourt-Smith, and the Errol Morris documentary that we’ve mentioned previously. Here‘s her (Joanna’s) obituary notice (from last Saturday’s New York Times).
and dear Lewis Warsh – a collective remembrance is now up on the site of the Poetry Project