Friday’s Weekly Round-Up – 667

This weekend in Europe, starting tomorrow in Rome and culminating on Tuesday in Rotterdam – Gregory Corso and Rotterdam.  The occasion is the annual anniversary and remembrance of the devastating bombing of Rotterdam in World War II, and Gregory’s key poem, “Vision of Rotterdam”.   Poet-organizer Erik von Loon., “together with our friends in Rome (Zurich) and Paris”,  has put together an ambitious and coordinated series of actions and presentations and happenings, “on the road” (via the innovative Poetry Cab), and connecting across four countries.

The Poetry Cab – “The Poetry Cab its not a car, It’s a mobile salon for poets in Europe and North America. Poets along the route from Rome to Zurich to Paris and onward to Rotterdam are invited to hop on the Poetry Cab to give readings, lectures, and shows about Gregory Corso in seven different cities along the route bringing language and culture through poetry”.

The spotlight on Gregory – “We selected Gregory Corso’s poem… to be read by all kinds of people, entrepreneurs, scientists, politicians , artists, poets..”

Day one begins on Saturday May 11 in Rome (Saturday at 1 ‘clock) with a five-hour Poetry Walk, conducted by Dario Bellini and based on his documentary, ‘Gregory Corso Talks and Walks in Roma,1989“, followed by a lecture at Altro Quando, a film and a talk, and –
“At eight we open the bottles of wine and beer at A Bar Corso and from sunset (8.20) we make music and start to dance”

Day two is in Zurich –  7-8  Corso The Artist – (Erik van Loon on Corso’s drawings and paintings), 8-10.30  Corso in Movies (three films with Robert Frank – Pull My Daisy, Me and My Brother and This Song For Jack)

Monday – Paris. – another Poetry Walk and a visit to The Beat Hotel – and, from 7-10 , at Culture Rapide, a Symposium “about the different periods, struggles and successes of the Beat poets in Paris”

Tuesday (the 14th) Rotterdam  – is the day of Commemoration, including, notably, following a moment of silence, a ceremonial reading of the poem, in ten different languages at eighty-four street corners along (Brandgrens), the fire boundary” – (“..power is standing on a street corner, waiting for no one” (Gregory Corso)) – (and, following this – an open reading (at the Monument in front of Willemskade 18) – “People read their own work to commemorate the victims of bombardments all over the world!”)

From 3-6, during the afternoon,  there’s a 12 km walk and talk along the fire boundary –  and, in the evening, from 7-10, – a second Symposium, at Matrix , “Vision Of Rotterdam” – “a three hour eclectic program with films, readings, talks, discussions and music”, beginning with students presenting their selected essays on the poem, at 8, another showing of Dario Bellini’s documentary, and, from 8-9, a talk (by poet Manuel Kneepkens and architect and philosopher, Adriaan Geuze) followed  by a ceremonial closing concert.

Vision of Rotterdam” is an important poem. Hear a gathering of American poets giving a “close-reading” of it – here

Neal Cassady and Anne Murphy – the legendary Neal Cassady – a couple of weeks ago, we noted the long-overdue publication of Anne Murphy’s no-holds-barred memoir, Tripping With A Viper.  Brian Hassett on Brianland has more about it  – here

Open Culture‘s informative 2013 Ginsberg  posting has been revived – “Over the years, the audio originally featured in the post, along with many of the links, went dead. So we gave everything a refresh and brought it back”, they write – See the refurbished version – here

& it was Gary Snyder’s 94th birthday this past Wednesday  – “Happy Birthday Gary Snyder – May you and your light bless this earth as long as possible” – Wang Ping presents this charming photo-portfolio 

More poet-necrology, New York School poet, David Shapiro (noted poet-alumnae, like Allen, of Columbia University) passed away last week.

Living and dying.  The world we inhabit.  Onward.