Dharma Sister
From the Cover of Amy Schmidt’s book on Dipa Ma Revision The poet W. H. Auden wrote “The funniest and kindest of mortals Are those who are most aware of the baffle of being” (A…
Tag: Allen Ginsberg
L. K.Lapinski
She’s Had a Pretty Good Nocturnal Run At Dunkin’ Donuts She said matter-of-factly “I haven’t had a nightmare In 17 years” She’s 22 Share the Wealth with Laura Katherine Lapinski: The Films of Wes Anderson…
Blasts from the Past
Hold It All It must have been 1983, springtime: I asked former classmate Ray Pruitt what he’d been reading. “Last night, Kierkegaard, Proust, and Phil Berrigan.” Things Have Changed It was back in 1982 We…
Writing Our Own Histories: A Fall Class
This is the second time this year I am facilitating a course on this do-it-yourself theme, which comes from Allen Ginsberg, “You have to write your own history, nobody’s going to do it for you.“…
Writing Our Own Histories: A Spring/Summer Class
“First We Read, Then We Write” –title of Robert D. Richardson’s study on Emerson’s creative life “Something that you feel will find its own form” –Jack Kerouac, U.S. novelist and poet “You have to write…
Milosz’s ABC’s
Milosz’s ABC’s Translated from the Polish by Madeline G. Levine Listening last night to Natalie Long talking about Poland and mentioning Czeslaw Milosz reminded me of reading his ABC’s back in 2001. Around that time…
“It’s the Old Thoreau Tradition”
This morning I was reading a 1972 interview with poet Allen Ginsberg and came across the following exchange… YLP: I was surprised to see the importance young Americans grant now to the Do It Yourself…
“Action Needed, Goethean Action”
Allen Ginsberg, Journals: Mid-Fifties 1954-1958, edited by Gordon Ball During winter and spring of 1996 I went on a binge of poet Allen Ginsberg’s books: poems, letters, photos, journals (I was taking a break from…
Three Working Epigraphs for Forthcoming Book
Everybody too intransigent. Everybody too mean. —Allen Ginsberg Appreciation is the sacrament. —Allen Ginsberg You have to write your own history, nobody’s going to do it for you. —Allen Ginsberg
“Holy the Supernatural Extra Brilliant Intelligent Kindness of the Soul!”
The title comes from Allen Ginsberg’s poem, Howl