Lawrence Ferlinghetti
am reminded of an Italian sports car whenever I try to type/say his name
he's said he is not a Beat Poet--they came after, that he is a 'lyrical' or was it 'lyric' poet
photo credit: bongos...Wikipedia...
Beat Poets were not necessarily Beatnik's tho of the Beat Generation
and for sure then did not all beat bongo's...tho there is that stereotypical image
of men slapping out rhythms on bongo's, they or another poet reciting lyrically, whilst women moved oddly (can it be called dancing) about in black leotards, perhaps snapping their fingers (yes, we have been influenced by the movie version--later I will read the poets of this generation...)
photo credit: © Soheyl Dahi, 2010
my favorite vision of the poet, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, as shown in the documentary film
- found at this link of the Poetry Foundation...
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/lawrence-ferlinghetti
(being from Louisiana now, first thing I thought of was--Whoa, wouldn't that make a great Mardi Gras Mask?!)
I had also never put the connection together the 1+ 1 = 2 before
until watching this documentary
City Lights - Bookshop - San Fran, Cali, USA
Shakespeare & Company - Bookshop - Paris, France
City of Lights - Paris, France
 |
| "Sometimes I think I'm surrounded by insects masquerading as men for some diabolical reason.” - Henry Miller |
photo credits: above, all three taken by--me...at Shakespeare & Co in Paris, France...
(there is another of me hamming it up reading in a little stuffed chair somewheres in the back of the shop, followed by my friend at the stacks pointing to a book somewheres in the middle of the shop & one more of her browsing at a table taken thru the front window of the shop...)
as to these 2 founders, who didn't just know each other
they had both opened bookshops & had each intended to swap bookshops for a year at a time
but in the end, we are told via the documentary, via the relative/daughter (could it have been Sylvia they spoke with) of Shakespeare & Company's owner, George Whitman, that this did not happen because each of their shops got too big for them to leave them
now I have been in Shakespeare & Company in Paris, France (what other, really) at least twice if not three times--as that's how many times I have visited Paris & so must of wandered into this most famous bookshop I'm sure whenever I was close by
photo credit: one more by me (now am wondering who's upstairs with the window cracked...)
take note--just under the Shakespeare and Company sign, that's in Paris, France...
to the left..."City Lights Books" (a nod to Lawrence in SanFran, Cali??)
recall too that while living in Stavanger, Norway & planning the trip to Paris in order to visit/stay with a dear expat friend there (who was living in Paris near Pere Lachaise Cemetery & I was never jealous, because I was so happy to be able to go visit her...with that most famous cemetery nearby that I would visit for hours & take even more & more photos of--so much so I use to tease that her French husband & I should so make a book of nothing but?!)
back to it--I would make a list of Things to Do/Things to See while in Paris & there would first/ always be Madam Eiffel (as in the tower, esp at night when she glitters...) then there would be the Bookshop, as in "The" Bookshop of Paris, which one internet search in particular brought up that upstairs at Shakespeare & Company there were not just Readings going on but Writing Classes you could take...I tried & tried to plan just the right dates to go there & stay during 'any' of these Writing Classes, but I could never do it...sigh...one day...(but now my Paris friend has moved to the South of France & so there will be no dear expat friend to stay with while I took a Writing Class at Shakespeare & Co...)
link to Shakespeare and Company Bookshop, Paris, France...
http://www.shakespeareandcompany.com/
"This is the creed of Hotel Tumbleweed
give what you can take what you need"
"Be not inhospitable to strangers
lest they be angels in disguise"
Lawrence Ferlinghetti
I find this flyer, but not an old photo right off of him on the Shakespeare & Co webpage
it's full of photos/flyers/words...
as you click thru different sections they will change, if you click back they will change again
and you can click on the photos & the spread on the page will change
(go--put yourself to the test?!)
this one of Allen Ginsberg
as he happens to look in Lawrence Ferlinghetti's documentary
link to City Lights Bookshop - San Francisco, California...
http://www.citylights.com/
link to Bio, photo, list of books of/by Ferlinghetti on the City Lights Bookshop webpage...
http://www.citylights.com/ferlinghetti/
This is the book that I read of his
A Coney Island of the Mind...a kind of circus of the soul...1958...
(there is also a 50th Anniv edition for sale)
"...This special 50th Anniversary Edition comes with a newly recorded CD of the author reading the 29 poems of the title section of A Coney Island of the Mind as well as selections from Pictures of the Gone World."
(note: I may have to revisit this book, these poems & let the author Ferlinghetti himself read them to me...which I think is the best, to have 'the' author themselves read their works outloud?!)
Beat's I have read...
Allen Ginsberg
Howl, Illuminated Poems (illustrated by Eric Drooker*)
Williams S. Burroughs
The Yage Letters, Queer (I could not finish Naked Lunch)
Jack Kerouac
(hmm...did I read the Road trilogy...you know, On The Road/The Dharma Bums/Big Sur, or not--I no longer own these books so right now I don't remember, as college was a long/Long time ago in a land far/Far away...or thereafter when I took years of Creative Writing, again too many books read/too many words away...)
Peter Orlovsky
Straight Hearts' Delight...
Neal Cassady
(thought I'd read him, but maybe just 'about' him in these other's books/letters...as I've browsed thru his book list on GoodReads but don't recall any of them...)
*Eric Drooker - webpage link...
http://www.drooker.com/books/illuminated.html
link to the phrase the Beat Generation on Wikipedia...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beat_Generation
but I am sad to say I have 'not' read the Women Beat's...
"Women of the Beat Generation
The female contemporaries of Kerouac, Ginsberg and Burroughs were intimately involved in the creation of Beat philosophy and literature, and yet remain markedly absent from the mainstream interpretation of the most important aspects and figures of the movement. Further, the Beat writings of Kerouac, Ginsberg and Burroughs often portray female characters in flat, traditional gender roles most typical of an ideal 1950s American housewife. Rather than offering liberation from social norms, Beat culture actually often marginalized and further culturally repressed American women and, more specifically, many of the female writers of the time period. Although women are less acknowledged in histories of the first Beat Generation, the omission may be due more to the period's sexism than the reality.
Joan Vollmer for instance did not write, although she appears as a minor figure in multiple authors' works. She has become legendary as the wife of William S. Burroughs, documented in Kerouac's novels, and killed by Burroughs in a drunken game of William Tell. Corso and Diane Di Prima, among others, insist that there were female Beats, but that it was more difficult for women to get away with a Bohemian existence in that era.
Notable Beat Generation women who have been published include Edie Parker; Joyce Johnson; Carolyn Cassady; Hettie Jones; Joanne Kyger; Harriet Sohmers Zwerling; Diane DiPrima; and Ruth Weiss, who also made films. Poet Elise Cowen took her life in 1963. Later, women emerged who claimed to be strongly influenced by the Beats, including Janine Pommy Vega in the 1960s, Patti Smith in the 1970s, and Hedwig Gorski in the 1980s."
link to Wiki about Lawrence Ferlinghetti...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_Ferlinghetti
link to Wiki about just this one book of his--A Coney Island of the Mind...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Coney_Island_of_the_Mind
3 sets of poems: 29 poems under same title as the book - 7 poems under title of Oral Messages (to be read aloud/accompanied by live jazz) - 13 poems from his 1st book of poetry: Pictures of the Gone World, 1955
link to YouTube - Lawrence Ferlinghetti actually reading his poems during Lunch Poems...15:25...
http://youtu.be/prJdq9BjAvQ
"why is there darkness at night..."
link to YouTube - Lawrence Ferlinghetti - Poetry Reading in the Cellar with Cellar Jazz Quintet - The Statue of St Francis...2:08...
http://youtu.be/nfZW-4LFGfw
"I Am Waiting" & "Junkman's Obbligato" were both written (so says Wiki) for jazz accompaniment...
link to the poem - "Junkman's Obbligato" by Lawrence Ferlinghetti - from his A Coney Island of the Mind book of poetry...
http://www.angelfire.com/oh/BringUsAnotherBeer/junkman.html
link to documentary movie: Ferlinghetti: A Rebirth of Wonder...2009...
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1251754/
or the orig title: Ferlinghetti: A City Light
Lawrence Monsanto Ferlinghetti
aka Lawrence Ferling
link to Ferlinghetti Film Trailer...2:26...
http://youtu.be/Vgec1sXIaiw
link to Trailer for documentary...2:36...
http://youtu.be/7loxs9m5YC4
a Dutch Rainbow Trailer, but there are as well 2 Trailer videos on IMDB--see link above...
link to Blog City Lights...Feb 6, 2013 post about...Trailer: Ferlinghetti, A Rebirth of Wonder...
http://www.blogcitylights.com/2013/02/06/trailer-ferlinghetti-a-rebirth-of-wonder/
What it says about the Director/Producer...
"Christopher Felver is a photographer and filmmaker. He’s maintained a longstanding friendship with Ferlinghetti, beginning with the collaborative book, Seven Days in Nicaragua Libre in 1984. Critic Peter Frank wrote, “Felver’s oeuvre has documented the American intellectual class – it’s thinkers, its writers, its artists, the people who have been shaping the higher discourse in our country since the 1950’s.” His latest book, Beat, is a collection of over 400 photographs and ephemera from his involvement with the Beat generation."
link to film's play dates on First Run Features...
http://firstrunfeatures.com/ferlinghetti_playdates.html
taking note--played in NOLA before coming to Lafayette at Cite des Arts...
other than that it's been in NY, MA, OH, VA & last on the schedule for this year IN
link to how teachers review the documentary movie for students...
http://www.studenthandouts.com/01-Web-Pages/Books-Films/Reviews/2009-ferlinghetti-a-rebirth-of-wonder-movie-review.htm
"We strongly recommend this film for illustrating the counterculture of the 1950s, and how it influenced future generations."
link to Cite des Arts - Calendar - April 13, 2013 - 8:00 pm film - for the Festival of Words shown by Cane Fire Film Series, along with a Silent Auction, Catering, Beat Poetry Readings prior to film...
http://www.citedesarts.org/Cite_des_Arts/Calendar_Tickets.html
link to Cane Fire Film Series - Facebook Page...
https://www.facebook.com/CaneFireFilmSeries
link to The Vermilion article by Corey Vaughn: Cane Fire Film Series Brings Indie Movies to Lafayette...speaking with Michael Scott Myers - the film series producer in August--after the Cane Fire Film Series started last year in May 2012...
http://www.thevermilion.com/cane-fire-film-series-brings-indie-movies-to-laf-1.2885366
(so far in the Series I've seen: A Cat in Paris, Nobody Else But You, A Royal Affair, Ferlinghetti: A Rebirth of Wonder... this has been amazing that we've gotten these films here in Lafayette, LA - usually showing at the LITE Center, this last film due to the Festival of Words/Auction/Beat Poetry Reading was shown at the Cite des Arts in downtown Lafayette...)
link to The Ind article...Cane Fire Films Series Presents...Ferlinghetti: A Rebirth of Wonder...
http://www.theind.com/a-a-e/arts-a-entertainment-stories/13483-cane-fire-films-series-presents-ferlinghetti-a-rebirth-of-wonder
and his hero--Charlie Chaplin...(ie: the hat, the bowler hat)
link to KATC - Channel 3 - Acadiana - Lafayette...
http://www.katc.com/events/fundraiser-for-festival-of-words-with-film-ferlinghetti-a-rebirth-of-wonder/
link to Acadiana Theatre Happenings - Blog - Fundraiser / Ferlinghetti: A Rebirth of Wonder...
http://acadianatheatrehappenings.blogspot.com/2013/04/fundraiser-ferlinghetti-rebirth-of.html
by Brady McKellar (aka Wanderlust Theater)
link to NUNU Arts & Culture Collective...
http://www.nunucollective.org/
Casa Azul Fundraiser...Let's keep Festival of Words articulating...Screening of "Ferlinghetti: A Rebirth of Wonder" ...at Cite des Arts in Lafayette...come out & help keep words going...
Nat'l Poetry Month...
but of course--so what a 'perfect' time for the Festival of Words, for a Beat Poetry Reading, for a documentary film to come to Cite des Arts - Lafayette, LA...
"Ferlinghetti: A Rebirth of Wonder"
Ferlinghetti--a poet, among many another hat that he wore (activist, artist--painter, Charlie Chaplin fan...)
link to some/three poems by Jerry McGuire (PhD UL Professor English Dept) who headed up the beat poetry performances before the documentary & he read, at the end of the performance pieces, a poem of Lawrence Ferlinghetti that was not in the film entitled He...
http://hoboeye.com/2007/01/poetry-jerry-mcguire-lafayette-louisiana/
Two Dances - 1) Square 2) Triangle
Dreaming Wakes Me
(I know this blog post is dated 2007, but this is just a quick sample of his poetry/his poems)
Judith & Jerry
looked pretty much the same at the beat poetry reading/documentary film showing of Ferlinghetti
(except he's in a different jacket, a b/w striped one)
http://english.louisiana.edu/creativewriting/creative%20writing%20faculty%20jerry%20mcguire.html
"Much of his work is poetry and experimental fiction done in collaboration with musicians, dancers, and visual artists and designed for specific performance environments.."
(taking note I came at the end of the beat poetry performances this evening, so only heard 1other poem read by a girl with a nearly shaved head somewhat Sinead looking--that I liked a lot & should of asked afterwards about her/her poem...there were chimes in the background & some guitar sounds as well, while she held a circle of tamborine cymbals--a headless tamborine...that I've not seen before...almost a bracelet size circle...she mentioned her poem was in the fashion of someone else, that I'm guessing was also done as a performance type piece as this one was...)
Darrell Bourque, Louisiana Poet Laureate from years past, 2007-08 & 2009-11, was in the audience, but I'm not sure if he was one of the earlier beat poets reading or not during the evening--at the end of it all I do know that he & his friends, obviously great supporters of Festival of Words, walked away with a lot of the Silent Auction Art...including that recycle fish I bid on?! (He probably doesn't remember but in a time long ago during Deep South Writer's Conference earlier years, at USL then. I was there & I tried to write & I tried to write poetry & I took a Writer's Workshop for Poetry with him, remembering he was very kind at the time & imagine he still is as he's still teaching, only it's UL these days...)
link to Deep South Magazine--under Literary Events...
http://deepsouthmag.com/2013/03/literary-friday-edition-50/
(note: barely a paragraph...sigh...rather sad--but there was the Nat'l Poetry Month poster above, in the sidebar, so--that was something...)
~~~
link to Howl - 1955 - Wikipedia...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howl
Pocket Poet Series from City Lights Publishing/Bookshop
co-founder Lawrence Ferlinghetti
line...
"who were burned alive in their innocent flannel suits on Madison Avenue... the nitroglycerine shrieks of the fairies of advertising"
reference...
"Ginsberg worked as a market researcher for Towne-Oller Associates in San Francisco, on Montgomery Street, not Madison Avenue."
(note: I find this hilarious...for more than one reason, but one of which is that I majored in Marketing in college & continually find that amusing..."fairies of advertising"...& so wanted to crack into Advertising that I considered a move to Houston, TX from Lafayette, LA--because I was told there was 'no' Marketing Jobs here..way Way back when...more amusement...)
photo credit: GoodReads.com Author Profile
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4261.Allen_Ginsberg
"Howl" Allen Ginsberg...27:00...
http://youtu.be/2p_kKhRmRkM
(he reads his poem, but you don't see him while he's reading...still...I have read this very long poem, but I had never heard him/the author reading it himself...)
"...forget your underwear we are free..."
Holy--hipsters?? did he say hipsters? curious--we still have them, but are they the same...hmmm...
link to the Wiki for the movie - Howl - Allen Ginsberg played by James Franco...2010...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howl_(film)
...1957 obscenity trial of San Francisco poet and City Lights Bookstore co-founder, Lawrence Ferlinghetti who was the first person to publish "Howl" in Howl and Other Poems.
Andrew Rodgers played Lawrence Ferlinghetti in the movie
link to "Howl" the movie trailer - James Franco playing Allen Ginsberg...
http://youtu.be/Ba9yazkl0UE
love the last line of the trailer...
"there is no beat generation, just a bunch of guys trying to get published" (hah)
~~~
and other related...
at the Festival of Words Auction...
Trish Ransom - Artist
Recycle Art
Fish
Auction Fundraiser for Festival of Words
before the Beat Poetry Readings
before the documentary film screening
of Ferlinghetti: A Rebirth of Wonder
link to her Artist's webpage & more of her fish...
http://www.debrisart.com/fish.html
(note: I did bid on this fish, but someone else came behind me & bid $5.00 more & got it...this too after I was teasing a writer friend who was suppose to come but didn't that I would then be the one to win this fish--even went so far as posting this photo, adding--this is my fish & a mwah hah hah I believe on top of that?! I shouldna known better...so in the end I did not bid $5.00 more dollars than that & did not win the bid, did not get to bring this fun recycle art/debris art home...which I have to add that since I'm a Pisces I like creative fish art in all forms especially...sigh...my only saving grace is that she does make more fish & she will be at local festivals again where I can find her/her fish again too...all for a good cause though will not be involved like this time for the Festival of Words Fundraiser--but it will still help the Local Arts/the Local Artist so that's gonna be OK too...)
Trish Ransom's Debris Art - Fish
Reading her Schedule I see she'll be at Festival International--so I'm set, less than 2 weeks away?!
link to Festival International - Marche des Arts/Vendors...
http://www.festivalinternational.com/site454.php
she's on the list...from Grand Coteau, LA--Debris Art
~~~
the 100th post
big round numbers get to me
they are markers
for what in this case--perhaps to say it's a Blog, a real Blog
or as writerly as I am able to get
until I move again to start another
Rain in Doha
Rain in Houston
Rain in Stavanger
Rain in Lafayette
Rain in ??
I just don't know nor will guess
curiously this 4th city/blog has 3 followers & 3 comments
which earlier ones had Zero to None, or maybe One?!
(3's tho have always been a lucky/fav number of mine)
but I am 'not' playing a numbers game here
just taking note it's One Hundred Posts on a Blog Today
and not taking note what that all might work out into pages for say, a book
if I were to be writing one & not posts in a blog on Blogger...
Commenting on a blog is an art. Good comments create relations. You’re doing great work. Keep it up.can cane corsos swim
ReplyDelete