Writing from – or in the style of – the Beat Generation will be the focus of the Mar. 21 “Writers Read” program at the L. E. Phillips Memorial Public Library.
The program is scheduled for 6 p.m. in the Eau Claire room. Sign-up to participate will start at 5:30 p.m. Listeners are welcome to attend, according to a press release from the library.
Karen Loeb, Eau Claire’s writer-in-residence, will host the program. She is a UW-Eau Claire English professor emerita whose fiction and poetry have appeared in a variety of magazines. Loeb’s poem “In the Science Museum,” won the 2016 “Wisconsin People & Ideas” contest.
“Writers Read” is a monthly library series organized by Eau Claire’s writer-in-residence. Each program features original poetry and prose written by writers living and working in the Chippewa Valley.
The Mar. 21 program’s emphasis on Beat Generation writing stems from the fact that March marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Lawrence Ferlinghetti, a noted poet and publisher of the Beat Generation. He was the publisher of Allen Ginsberg’s controversial book Howl and a survivor of the obscenity trial that followed its release.
As an author, Ferlinghetti is best known for his first collection of poems, A Coney Island of the Mind. It has sold more than a million copies and has been translated into nine languages. Ferlinghetti was also co-founder off City Lights Booksellers & Publishers and wrote fiction, theatrical works, art criticism and film narration in addition to his poetry.
Participants in the Mar. 21 program may bring their favorite Beat poem to read, or they can read their own Beat-style poem or short prose works. Individual readings are limited to five minutes or less.
Additional information is available at the library’s Information & Reference desk, by calling 715-839-5004 por by email to librarian@eauclaire.lib.wi.us.