When it comes to movements in poetry, no generation is more idealized than the Beat Poets. We're talking about post-War World II beatniks like Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, Gary Snyder, and others. And just a few years behind them was a poet named Anne Waldman. Growing up in the heart of Greenwich Village, she became a veritable artistic force in the vein of hte poets who came before her. Her performative poetry tackles off-center issues, and comes from a lifelong interest in “making sense of this dystopia.” She's a founding member of the Saint marks Poetry Project in NYC, and a founding member with Ginsberg of The Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics at the Naropa Institute. At 8 p.m. Friday, she'll be at the McKinney Avenue Contemporary (3120 McKinney Ave.) to perform her poetry, along with music by Ambrose Bye of Fast Speaking Music. This is a Wordspace event, which I once described as a “pretty fucking cool.” Living up to the reputation, it seems. Tickets are $25. More at wordspace.us.
Fri., May 8, 8 p.m., 2015