Okay … I just got back from an amazing weekend in Northport, Long Island hanging around with a bunch of people performing at this event, a four-city marathon reading of Kerouac’s novel ‘Big Sur’.
I got to spend a lot of time talking with Carolyn Cassady, who I’d never met before, and who had flown in from London just for this gathering. She was even more charming and insightful than I had expected.

Another highlight was the marathon reading itself. …

“There came a day when the clouds drifting along with the wind aroused a wanderlust in me, and I set off on a journey to roam along the seashores.”
- Basho
Prologue to Narrow Road to a Far Province
1689

In the early centuries of Japanese history, there was a strong tradition of pilgrimage, particularly among poet-monks. This can be seen as a parallel to similar movements in medieval Europe and in America.

Some of the best known poet-monk-travelers include Sogi (1421-1502) …

Recently I reread two of Richard Brautigan’s poetry books, ‘The Pill Versus the Springhill Mine Disaster’ and ‘Rommel Drives on Deep into Egypt’. I had been reading Baudelaire and thought I remembered Brautigan using Baudelaire in his poems. Sure enough, “The Galilee Hitch-Hiker” section of ‘Pill’ is comprised of nine poems involving Baudelaire. Here’s one

The American Hotel

Baudelaire was sitting
in a doorway with a wino
on San Francisco’s skidrow.
The wino was a million
years old and could remember
…

Henry Murger is barely remembered in literary circles today, but he wrote one of the most culturally influential works of all time. “Scenes de la Vie de Boheme” (”Scenes of the Bohemian Life”) popularized the idea of the Bohemian: the prototypically rebellious and indifferent young starving artist living on the left bank of Paris.

Murger was born in Paris in 1822, the son of a tailor. His born name was Henri Murger, though he later chose to distinguish himself by modifying the spelling of …

There’s a certain amount of danger when writing about a man like Hunter S. Thompson. Figuratively and literally. Figuratively, in that Thompson is still vital and practicing his art. Any biography, therefore, will be incomplete. Literally, in that Thompson is a violent and unstable man with a fondness of firearms and extreme action. He’s the type to come looking for you.

Thompson has been many things to many people, which is a testament to his talent. His books have transcended social barriers and have become almost …