CITY (IN ORDER BY STATE) |
NAME AND/OR EVENT DESCRIPTION |
LOCATION AND TIME (IF DIFFERENT) |
CONTACT PERSON |
Long Beach/LA, CA |
David M. Wingard |
Palo Alto, CA |
Ginsberg Memorial | St. Michael's Alley 806 Emerson (at Homer) (415) 326-2530 |
Rainbow |
Sacramento, CA |
James Lee Jobe |
REMEMBRANCE BY JAMES LEE JOBE:
The Sacramento event was held at Luke Breit's (head of our Poetry Center) home. Much wine flowed, and it was damn good stuff, Napa Valley cabernet, early 90's. Poems were read, including Kaddish parts 3 & 4, my favorites, Sunflower Sutra, and poems from the two newer collections. Poets included myself, Luke Breit, R H Peat, Heather Hutcheson, Patrick Grizzell, and Stan Zumbiel.
Watsonville, CA |
On Sunday in Watsonville, CA there is a huge march about 30,000 strong for the Strawberry Workers campaign.... Jesse Jackson and Adrienne Rich (among others) will speak. Bus loads of Berkeley students are going in support... Because the march is happening @ precisely the same time as the Ginsberg national hour of rememberance, I along with other students plan to read his poetry during the march... Anyone who is interested may contact me... | Jessica |
Carbondale, CO |
Readings and open mic, an Allen poem about Aspen, general craziness and nakedness. [Also tentative plans for an evening of celebration, readings (most definitely HOWL) drinking and more nakedness at the Howling Wolf in Aspen next week. Call for more info. (970) 920-7771.] |
Java Joe's Main Street Carbondale |
Lee Ingram |
Denver, CO |
A memorial service and reading for Allen Ginsberg. From there we will walk to the Colburn Hotel at 980 Grant where Carolyn Cassady lived on the third floor shortly before meeting Neal Cassady in 1947. | Denver Book Mall 32 Broadway |
Denver Poetry Events web site |
Boulder, CO |
Naropa will be holding an in-house observation for faculty, staff and students. If this includes you, contact Naropa for more information. |
REMEMBRANCE BY CYNTHIA MILLER:
On Sunday the 13th a friend and I went to Naropa in Boulder on a rumor that there would be some sort of gathering to join in the national time of rememberance. There was nothing, so we went for a long walk along Boulder Creek and an hour into the designated time we did a twenty minute meditation along the creek that Allen had also known.
It was strange walking through the Naropa campus and past the library that has so many of Allen's original papers and through the grassy area where each summer the tent is set up for the writing program and where Allen had one day walked in and sat down next to me and just began talking about recent ideas he had about poetics and aging. In the past thirty years of occaisional contacts with him I don't think he ever knew or remembered my name. In the past five years I know he recognized me by sight, but he never really knew me as anyone except someone who was familiar with his work and someone who had briefly known Lee Crabtree (a whole other story related to the early days of the Fugs.) In all those years of my awareness of him I only saw his generous, courageous and curious sides. I saw him in situations where he had plenty of opportunity to be otherwise. I have heard the stories that he was not always the easiest person to be around. It doesn't matter to me now. I will always admire what he has done for America - from his freeing influence on the American language and sexual stereotypes, to camping out on the railroad tracks leading to Rocky Flats, where they used to make nuclear triggers for bombs and which was only seven miles upwind from where I lived at the time.
I know this world is better for his having been in it. I say good-by to his physical presence now, knowing he remains now in our hearts, psyches and memories.
Washington, DC |
An Allen Ginsberg Remembrance. This is going to be held in addition to their regularly scheduled poetry reading. I talked to one person that has a friend who knew Allen and will most likely attend. --Carlos |
Adams Morgan "Bar Hell" Time: 600 pm |
Carlos Diaz |
Honolulu, HI |
Share your mind, poetry, anecdotes of, for, and relating to Allen Ginsberg and all that is Beat. Death sucks but it beats life 100%. Oh yeah, bring tatami if grass makes you itchy. --Maui Girl | Makiki District Park Time: 10:00 am Hawaii Time (Not Hawaiian time cause we may move it if we get the urge.) |
Margaret Miura |
Chicago, IL |
A celebration of Ginsberg the prophet | Unity Temple Unitarian Universalist Congregation Time: 11:00 am |
Jay Deacon, minister |
Gloucester, MA |
There will be a memorial reading in memory of Allen Ginsberg. The reading was organized by poet Schuyler Hoffmann who has invited those who wish to remember Allen to read from a work of Allen's that has moved or inspired them. Those who will be reading include Vincent Ferrini, Gerrit Lansing, Linda Crane, James Cook, Amanda Porter, Peter Anastas and Hoffmann. Gloucester poets and writers have a special affinity with Ginsberg because he was a pallbearer at Charles Olson's funeral in January of 1970 and several of us had remained in touch with him thereafter. --Peter Anastas | Gloucester Stage Company Time: 6:00 pm |
Peter Anastas |
Detroit/Ann Arbor/Dearborn, MI |
A memorial for Allen Ginsberg | Fort Wood Park, located in Dearborn, on Michigan Avenue and Greenfield | Kevin Bencik |
KY |
Kentucky Weslyan College |
St. Louis, MO |
Brookings Quad at Washington University | Derek |
Hanover, NH |
An open reading. Bring your favorite poems. We'll share readings, memories, and remember what Allen meant to us all. | Dartmouth College Wren Room Sanborn House |
Mongo |
Las Vegas, NV |
Randy Drabman |
Binghamton, NY |
Stacy Rotner |
Long Island, NY |
A Tribute to Allen Ginsberg: A retro-60's gathering, happening, being-in to mourn, celebrate, memorialize the rascally, spritely poet/mentor who spanned the beat/hippie/punk/Gen-X/cyber-generations | Outdoor Theatre, Heckscher Museum. Route 25A & Prime Avenue in the village of Huntington, NY (The birthplace of Walt Whitman.) |
581-6572 |
REMEMBRANCE BY THOMAS BRINSON:
the long island event went exceedingly well: we had about 75 people stroll in & out of the outdoor event in sunshined brillance under a canopy of swirling clouds and soaring doves to be at one in memory of Allen, hearing his words, sharing our words about him and exchanging memories of his impact on our lives and art.
we also memorialized the passing last week of one of long island's most beloved professors and practicing poets, Dr. Aaron Kramer.
So, it was a gathering time of deep reflection upon & experience of the sweet reality that all change passes into other change in a never-changing process of change changing . . .
this weekend, i will post to you a brief synopsis of of who shared & related what--the event was also video-taped in full and was covered as one of the lead stories by Channel 12, the long island local cable news channel.
Syracuse, NY |
A Poetry Reading | Hendricks Chapel | Sean Hegarty |
REMEMBRANCE BY SEAN HEGARTY:
just writing to let you know how things went. it was a pretty low turn out but most likely because of the last minute change in location. but it was a great time. we read some of Allen's works and other s and people read their own and we had 2 profeesors come in and that spark a long discussion. over all i had a great time and i think alot of other people did too by the responses i got after the event. we read the Anne Waldman poem and two Blake poems (ah, sunflower and Nurse's Song) we read all of Howl out loud with each person i nthe room reading a section, Death to Van Gogh's Ear, After Lalon, A song, and alot more that i cant really remember right now. but it went very well. thanks for getting everything organized.
Fort Worth, TX |
Seattle, WA |
Allen Ginsberg Remembrance. (Since Sunday night is Grateful Dead night at the Blue Moon, it should be quite the Beat day.) I know Kerouac and Pynchon used to hang out there and since Tom Robbins has been known to bless the premises with his presence. If there is anyone on this list in the Seattle area who is better connected than I as far as the local media is concerned could you please contact local papers, public radio stations to do public service announcements, and the local literary orgs, universities, gay activists, and other groups possibly interested in participating. Also feel free to post this to any other mailing lists or newsgroups which might want to know about this. | Blue Moon Tavern 45th Stret and I-5 No phone. |
Malcolm |
REMEMBRANCE BY MALCOLM LAWRENCE:
Well, for all intents and purposes Seattle stiffed at the Sunday AG remembrance. I wasn't at either the Anne Waldman remembrance on Friday in Auburn nor at the Ted Joans reading in the U District on Saturday, but the Blue Moon was pretty much a ghost town on Sunday. Just goes to show that no matter how much you can try and do with the wonders of email and the net/web with only a few days notice it doesn't guarantee ANYthing. I tried.
I arrived at noon to start setting up and got a lot of very friendly, courteous help from the regular soundmen who take care of bands at the place, who were very helpful considering they hadn't heard anything about what was going to be happening until I got there, not to mention didn't know me from Adam. We moved one of the pool tables out of the way and had a small PA all set up as well as a perfect little makeshift stage with a microphone, stool, music easel, and movable lamp from which to read from. A photographer and journalist from the Seattle Times showed up, waiting for a story and stayed for a good couple of hours. And even though we were all ready to go at 1 PM there was no sign of a crowd of AG admirers at all. Only three patrons were overtly there for the remembrance (not counting my two friends who showed up) and no one was interested in actually reading anything in front of the place, so I waited until about 2 PM to see if anyone else was going to show up and there was no noticeable difference. Tom Robbins didn't show up. Nor did Anne Waldman. So at 2 I took to the microphone and introduced myself and what the occasion was and read Anne Waldman's deathbedside poem. Even though I'm a writer I don't really consider myself much of a reader and felt that Allen himself could do a lot better justice with his own material than little old me, and luckily my friend Russell had brought with him the first disc of the Holy Soul Jelly Roll CD boxed set with him, so I decided just to have the barkeep put it on the CD player and start off with track 5 which is, of course, Howl.
The regulars were pretty confused as to what was going on, specifically as to what was being recited over the sound system. A few of the regulars, upon learning that it was a poem called "Howl" actually started to howl for about a minute or two.
Actual overheard comments from the regulars:
"Is this Winston Churchill?"
"It's War of the Worlds"
"Is this the tape of a radio show?"
About halfway through Howl the crowd seemed to finally coalesce with it and I dare think that everybody seemed to be enjoying it enough that I just decided to let Allen continue, so I let the rest of the CD play, so we all listened to Footnote to Howl then America, Sunflower Sutra, Green Valentines Blues, and Death to Van Gogh's Ear before I decided not to push my luck and let the barkeep reclaim the sound system as everyone started playing pool again and the eight Rolling Stones CDs that the barkeep brought with him were returned to the CD carousel and put on "shuffle" for the rest of the afternoon/evening. Russell and Bryan and I helped the soundmen break down the stage and put the PA away, then we just decided to play a few rounds of cutthroat over pints before heading out. I think all told I spent about 8 hours at the tavern. I was SO glad to finally get outside when we left. I never spend THAT long at a tavern even on a GOOD night. :)
I think the best thing about the day was as I was leaving I was introduced by one of the soundmen to one of the owners of the place who extended the generosity of the place to me and any future ideas I may have for readings.
A few days ago I had a couple of personal emails from two AG fans from the Seattle area who were both under 21 therefore couldn't make it to the Blue Moon, and in retrospect I wish I had organized something at, say, a Buddhist temple where they could have joined in rather than deciding that the Kerouac connection with the Blue Moon was enough of a reason to have that place as the spot for the remembrance. Ah well. 20/20 hindsight, eh?
I'd love to hear what happened at the other cities remembrances. Any other washouts like mine was?
Madison, WI |
Milwaukee, WI |
Allen has read at Woodland Pattern Books in the past, and the owner was delighted to offer the use of their backroom performance space. We are planning an informal sharing of poems and memories of Allen. | Woodland Pattern Books 720 E. Locust Street |
Jym Mooney |
REMEMBRANCE BY JYM MOONEY:
We had a very nice gathering of about 35 people at Woodland Pattern Books. The chairs had been arranged surrounding a small podium draped with a green cloth, upon which burned a candle and a stick of incense. Local poets Antler and Jeff Poniewaz, longtime friends of Allen's, led off with poems and personal remembrances. People then took turns sharing memories and poems (Allen's and their own). We observed a few minutes of silent meditation at 4pm, and continued on for another 45 minutes. Antler closed the gathering with a reading from Walt Whitman.
One woman's memories were quite amusing. It seems that when she was a naive young girl living in Greenwoch Village in the early 1950's, she knew Allen. He was teaching her roommate Barbara about jazz. He fixed her up on dates with Jack Kerouac and Carl Solomon (she laughingly acknowledged, "I soon figured out that most of Allen's friends had either been in jail or an institution.").
I owe a lot of thanks to Jeff Poniewaz and Harvey Taylor for helping to get this event organized in only three days, and to Ann Kingsbury at Woodland Pattern Books for her enthusiastic support.
Toronto, Ontario, CANADA |
4/9: National CBC TV, CITY TV, may be there with cameras for coverage, and the Toronto Star, Toronto Sun, and NOW were told about the event... Also I will be passing around Levi Asher's fantastic Ginsberg tribute on Sunday for the revelers to browse... --Caroline 4/10: Mongo, my fuckin friend, me and my pal Chuck Roast have got it FUCKING HAPPENIN FOR TORONTO! We got a great venue with a Buddha statue, Inuit and native art! And pool tables! Media lined up, posters, a 100-watt p.a. system, young poetry talent, alternative, and more established names (Paul Dutton , Antonio D'Alfonso, Fortner Anderson - the greatest (from Montreal) rant poet alive)... Anyway, keep plugged in... to THE WORLD WIDE a-WAKE!!!!! --Alan |
The Colored Stone TIME: 4:30 pm |
Alan Lord 49 Williamson Road #B Toronto, (Ontario) Canada M4E 1K6 tel: (416) 694-1321 fax: (416) 694-4718 |
REMEMBANCE BY ALAN LORD:
Frankly, I'm a bit depressed. Turnout was disappointing: about 20 people. Reasons: short notice, rainy day, etc... but still, but still... if those asshole "poet" friends of mine turned up like they said they would...
Yet it was a memorable occasion for those of us who were there, who cared, about Allen, about each other, and poetry; let me flash-rap this to you Ginsberg style...
Scented candle Buddha flowers dazibao wall-collage of NY Times Toronto Globe & Mail Village Voice spreads beaming face of Allen on wall wafting thru smoke of burning incense...
Fortner Anderson cut short important union talks to come rant "Fake Saint" poem by Allen, from memory, even tho sadness of ex-wife yanking kids away from him moving to Vancouver horrible sadness on his mind...
I asked humble corner-hiding soft-spoken young Buddhist woman to read Anne Waldman's deathside poem, she told us Allen taught her how to meditate at Naropa and she gleaned Waldman's voice perfect deathbed rhythm, with highest emotional jewel-point of evening, touching beyond relief...
Meek William finally deciding to share his great poems with us because "there are so many friendly smiling faces here tonight"...
Young up and coming poetry talent Jon Wokowski reading his sublime "You were born" (copies of this all later to you), that was inspired by Howl... Born, born, born, he chanted,
Born, you were born you were born you were born with ten fingers and ten toes only to wonder what is missing?...
And that handsome young cat Steve, looking like Kerouac in his prime, wandering in the joint thru advert of gleaned poster which fell off pole moments later at the corner of Spadina and Queen... first announcing self as silent poetry-watcher, then later went to table to pick up Allen book and read a poem too...
And then a folksy shy young man bumped in with guitar in rucksack, said he didn't know who Allen Ginsberg was but I asked him to sing some songs anyway, and he did so after tuning up guitar in washroom...
And great big smiling placid long-silver-haired Duke Redbird declaiming his heartbreaking beautiful poems in deep voice of pristine morning-mist old growth native forests and clear lakewaters of pre-Columbian Canada...
Then this Lillian the dominatrix-wannabe gave us stupid poem about S&M crap, but everything was permitted, even I knocked-off my poem, and asked Jon to re-read "You Were Born" as a personal favor from me to Fortner, who had to catch his plane back to empty-house-sadness Montreal...
And my beautiful shy wife Caroline sat there, well away from all the action, and we exchanged occasional young-lover smiles, after nine years together...
And I knew that at same time my dear friend great poet Mario Campo in Montreal was reading from poems I scanned off Levi Asher's Literary Kicks tribute I Fedexed to him in time for his end of 4pm Sunday gig...
And I looked at that big poolroom, and wondered why it was so empty, but then remembered death is also empty, and life is empty, if we don't fill it with love, joy, poetry and kindness, as Allen taught us... and then realization of "at least this is bigger than my kitchen!", and I smiled at my naive little Allen shrine, with scented candle Buddha flowers, dazibao wall-collage of NY Times Toronto Globe & Mail Village Voice beaming face of Allen on wall wafting thru smoke of burning incense... with Howl, Kaddish, Planet News, Reality Sandwiches, Empty Mirror, As Ever, propped up below kindly face, along with my dear dead friend Huncke's "Guilty of Everything" and signed rare copy of "Evening Sun Turned Crimson" still unstolen...
And it felt good... I felt good... and everyone who was there also felt good, you could see it, feel it... that late afternoon unforgettable... with drizzle, and emptiness, and actual deep thankfulness for no-media cacophony circus, but tranquil intimate deep fellow-Human solace instead... and with only meek Buddhist Karen, and humble William, and shy wife Caroline, and sorta-dumb folksinger, and Duke sneaking off to watch baseball game in corner once in a while with Eddie James, like Corso and cronies at Matt Radz party Huncke dragged us once to in Chelsea Hotel... and big, mean, biker-looking, but actually sweet friendly giant co-Ginsberg-Day-conspirator great pal Chuck Roast at the mike calling out next reader... and those two funny-looking stray Pakistani guys - Krishna knows how the hell they ended up there... and those eager kids clutching their poems (the next Allens!)... and Fortner cradling his head in poem-listening concentration and broken-family heaviness of heart... and I couldn't help thinking of Fortner's kids growing up without his love, and dead Allen Ginsberg, and deader yet Huncke, and Burroughs how utterly lonely and lost he must feel... and now I'm fuckin weeping and I can't make out the letters on the keyboard thru waterpool of tears so let's just offer a last farewell to noble-souled, holy moan-groan, dead-boned Allen, roaming now thru Times Square of Heaven with Jack and Huncke, sweet holy trinity of Beat finally reunited, and let's rather weep with tears of happiness for them, at ecstatic Dharma realization of joyous Void eternity!
Toronto, Ontario CANADA |
Sukhavati (Buddhist remembrance service) for Allen Ginsberg | Toronto Shabmhala Centre 670 Bloor St. W. #300 Phone 416-588-6465 |
George Free |
Jakarta, INDONESIA |
Mexico City, MEXICO |
Daniel Bromberg |
UNITED KINGDOM |
Hey, Stuart and Tony! Yours are among the address that Lee lost when his server crashed! Write us back with more information! --Mongo | Stuart (in Neston) New UK contact: Stuart Davis |
 Visit Camp Mongo |
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