Tomorrow, July 17th, in conjunction with the ongoing exhibit “Discover America and the Beat Generation – Jack Kerouac Types On the Road – The Genealogy of a Counterculture through Publications“, the Kobe City University of Foreign Studies in Japan will be hosting a symposium (streamed live on You Tube) featuring exhibition-organizer, Matt Theado, Minami Aoyama, Motoyuki Shibata, and Beat scholar. (Herbert Huncke biographer) Hilary Holladay
July 17 also marks the date of Kerouac taking his very first cross-country road-trip, July 17, 1947. Literary Hub has a note about it here
Michael Horovitz‘s passing (noted here last week) – “a cockney, Albionic, new Jerusalem, jazz generation, sensitive bard”, to quote his blurb from Allen – here‘s a further obituary notice from our good friend Simon Warner – (and one from the Beat Museum)
and here‘s a link to the documentary on Allen, Michael made for the BBC for their (Radio 4) series, Great Lives.
David S Wills (you’ll be hearing from him this weekend, with a new piece on Hunter S Thompson) has re-published his intriguing essay on Allen’s pivotal poem, “The Change – “The Change – Allen Ginsberg Reborn“. Check it out here if you missed it in the first time round in Beatdom
Kevin Ring‘s remarkable Beat Scene continues. Beat Scene number 101 is now at the printer. and will be available shortly, an eclectic mix as usual, with this time a particular focus on Beat Women. To pre-order a copy contact him directly at kevbeatscene@gmail.com
Our, seemingly-regular-now, end-of-the-round-up musical sign-off – This week, The Bongos (from Allen’s home state of New Jersey) – The Beat Hotel – “In the Beat Hotel/The walls have ears/The beat goes on/A naked lunch/The cupboard’s bare/A drummer drums…..” – What would Madame Rachou made of this? God only knows!