New week and a new month and we thought to start this off with a new feature – an examination of a reading Allen gave, late in his life, March 23, 1995, at Georgian Court College (now Georgian Court University) in Lakewood, New Jersey. We are immensely grateful to Paul Cappucci, Professor there in the Department of English, who provided much of the materials, and for the exemplary transcribing skills of his student, Jimmy Woo, Jr.
Allen was invited by Dr. Eric Wurmser (who spearheaded the project) and Dr. Gail Holian, Professor of English, to conduct a master class for the Georgian Court students enrolled in their British Romantics course. Since the class was open to the full campus community, (and, understandably, expected to sell out), the session was held in the college’s Little Theatre.
The event was part of the College’s International Scholar Lecture Series.
In some detail, and with revealing observations, Dr.Holian explains further:
Dafydd, (Lord) Elis-Thomas, an esteemed medievalist in the department of English, University of Wales, Lampeter, was the original speaker planned for the evening of March 25, 1995. The department of English had funded his trip to campus. Dr. Holian met Lord Elis-Thomas at (a) dinner at the University …..This dinner was held in her honor to celebrate her book, The Romance of the Rose Illuminated: Manuscripts in the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth.
In honor of the new friendship between the University of Wales and Georgian Court, Sister Barbara Williams, President of Georgian Court, planned a formal dinner…to celebrate Lord and Lady Elis-Thomas’s arrival on the 25th. This had been in motion a few months before Allen Ginsberg agreed to speak in the International Scholars Lecture Series.
The invitation to Allen Ginsberg, who at that time was chairperson of the creative writing program at Brooklyn College in New York, was conceived by Eric A. Wurmser, M.D., professor at large in the department of English at Georgian Court, who team taught with Dr. Holian. Dr. Wurmser, a gifted surgeon and humanist with scholarly publications of his own in the medical field, brought an iconoclastic view of writers and considered the ways that their physiological and psychological conditions and illnesses brought additional depth to their works of fiction and poetry. Dr. Wurmser originally contacted Ginsberg with the help of Roxanne Zygmund, administrative assistant to Sister Marie Cook, Dean of Humanities and to the department of English. Ginsberg’s business manager, Robert (Rosenthal), had asked for a sum which was impossible for us to pay. As we had already budgeted almost all of our funds to bring Lord Elis-Thomas from Wales, the deparment of English had little money left. Dr. Wurmser stepped in and immediately proposed that since Georgian Court could only offer a small monetary stipend, he would supplement it. Unknown to the Georgian Court community Dr. Wurmser also underwrote a dinner for the esteemed poet at a vegetarian restaurant. It should be noted that Dr. Wurmser’s generosity often enabled us to entertain the international speakers far beyond our department and university budget.
Professor Ginsberg also specified that March 25th was the only time he was available. As both of the speakers were to be covered by the press, Lord Elis-Thomas, a huge admirer of the Beats and of Ginsberg in particular, graciously agreed to speak at the open university slot from 1:00 to 2:30 pm on that same day. He told us that this agreement was contingent upon our allowing him and Lady Elis-Thomas guaranteed seats at Professor Ginsberg’s master class and an introduction to him, which was of course all done.
On March 25th Dr. Wurmser drove to the East Village to fetch Allen in order to save on the cost of transportation. After this, Dr. Wurmser and Allen went to the vegetarian restaurant..for the vegetarian dinner, specially arranged with students from the British Romantic Poets’ class, as well as with Teresa and Rachel, Dr. Wurmser’s wife and daughter. The owner of the restaurant surprised Dr. Holian when she made the dinner arrangements by offering to close the restaurant that evening so Ginsberg could dine undisturbed, and he humbly asked if he too could meet the poet, stating he was a lifelong admirer of Ginsberg, and like the great poet, a Buddhist and vegetarian. All was of course granted.
Ginsberg’s business manager, (Bob Rosenthal) mentioned that there would be some requirements for the master class and Allen’s appearance – a bouquet of wild field flowers to be placed on a 22″x10″ low table, a pitcher of spring water and glass, and a specific-size microphone near him. The department of English also received generous permission to record the performance and show it afterward at their discretion as long as no admission fee was charged.
When Dr. Wurmser and Allen Ginsberg arrived at the Little Theatre, the stage was set, and the requested items were placed near his chair. The theatre was already filling up with guests anxious to hear the master class and to see him. The audience was made up equally of students and people who had read the press release in the Asbury Park Press and other local print newspapers, (as well as (in) the New York Times), and/or heard it on radio. Many had travelled from the tri-state area. No seats were available by 7 p.m.
After Allen went up on the stage, he became visibly upset and he left the stage looking for Dr. Holian who he knew was in charge. He found her in the hall stairs of the Little Theatre where he announced in a loud voice, “You, Dr. Holian, you have ruined this evening! Nothing is as I requested!” He then stomped back to the stage and began remonstrating loudly to the AV supervisor about the microphone and how it did not match what he had required by contract. Dr. Holian quickly went to the office of Roxanne Zygmund and asked for her help. Roxanne was also the owner of an antique business in Point Pleasant, New Jersey, and she, as mentioned, had arranged all the details and press releases with Dr. Holian. “Don’t worry,” she said. “I did a clean-out a day ago and the items are still in the van. Let’s see if we can find another table.” She left and returned with one that looked like a piano bench and quickly removed the one that had been placed on the stage. “Don’t worry,” she said, “this will do it!” – and she was absolutely right. Luckily, Karina, one of the best students in the Romantics class, whose family owned a florist shop in Englishtown, N.J., had put together and donated a beautiful bouquet of field wildflowers. They were also placed on the side table as Allen required. These he had approved.
The Little Theatre was already filled to capacity and signs were put up that said, “Sold Out!!!” Campus security had gone to the corner of 9th Street and Lakewood Avenue to turn away any other guests who were still attempting to come to the event as fire rules would have been violated should any more fill the Little Theatre. The doors were left open though, and there were many standing outside peering in to hear and see the great Allen Ginsberg. Allen graciously invited some students and acolytes standing in the back to sit in the front on the floor near him and many did.
The electricity of this rare moment was palpable to everyone there.
To begin the evening, Dr. Wurmser put together a fitting and stirring introduction to Allen.Suddenly, he delivered an impassioned rendition of Shelley’s iconic “Ode to the West Wind” and this magical, extraordinary evening and unmatchable class on the British Romantic poets was on.
After it ended, Allen warmly greeted individual audience members. Before he left, he came to Dr. Holian in a very excited voice and asked if it was true that he was “sold out.” Yes, she told him it was and that signs were put up to make it clear as far as a mile before Georgian Court, as well as on all the gates and doors to the building. Allen then asked for one since as he stated, to our utter disbelief, that this was the only time in his career he had ever had that happen and he wanted a sign as proof. Dr. Holian ran outside to the gates and got one for him.
After speaking to Dr. Wurmser, he requested that he might take the beautiful wildflowers with him as he was stopping to see his stepmother in the nursing home before going home to the East Village in the limousine we had provided for his return. Karina quickly made it happen.
The reviews of the magical evening with the greatest of the Beats were stellar. He and Dr. Wurmser remained friends afterward. Truly, Georgian Court and the department of English had never had an evening quite like this, before or after, although the International Scholars lecture series continued until 2014 and included many luminaries and famous scholars and speakers including Poet Laureates like Robert Pinsky.
Well now, a brief note/clarification to Dr. Holian’s generous account
Robert (Bob) Rosenthal, Allen’s long-time secretary, writes:
Ginsberg at Georgian Court on English Romantic Poetry – starting tomorrow