Various (Goldman, Sherman (Editor); Chowka, Peter Barry; Ginsberg, Allen et al.)

East West Journal Vol. 8 No. 2 (February 1978)

Brookline, MA: Leonard Jacobs, 1978. First Printing. This number of the spiritual/ New Age journal edited by Sherman Goldman features a classic interview with Allen Ginsberg (1926-1997), Founding Father of the Beat Generation-&-Beyond, conducted by the noted journalist Peter Barry Chowka in Boston during December 1977. Entitled "Poet at Mid-Century," the interview transcribes Ginsberg's musings on a variety of topics including humor in his poetry; his professorial, meditative & religious experiences at the Naropa Institute; mortality etc. With several contemporary photographs of Ginsberg taken by Chowka. (pgs. 52-55) Here is the final paragraph quoting Ginsberg: "In September 1977, I went on a ten-day retreat in Southern Colorado. I didn't do any writing. I didn't even bother to save up haikus. I really took a vacation- took time off from myself. I came to the realization that freedom beyond poetry, or from poetry endures: freedom from having to do anything. Nonaction is good for a poet to acknowledge or experience. I realize now that I'm not stuck being a poet. In fact, quite definitely, I will get unstuck when I die!" (pg. 55) It occurs to this writer that this interview & its publication took place in the same period as when I first met Ginsberg myself, attending a reading at the University of Michigan & later book-signing at a long-since defunct bookstore here in Ann Arbor, where we spoke briefly & he inscribed & signed my copy of the then-just-published collection Mind Breaths- still cherished in my private collection. Also in this issue are articles on a variety of subjects including a color & black-&-white portfolio of photographs by winners of a contest sponsored by the Journal, breastfeeding, harmonization of the feminine & masculine human properties, ancient temple architecture etc.; contemporary ads including for the volume Monument Eternal by Alice Coltrane. Magazine-format journal in stapled wrappers, presumed first-&-only printing, complete with attached subscription card between pgs. 46-47. From the archive of Thomas Rain Crowe (b. 1949), the acclaimed American poet who co-founded & was at the center of the Baby Beat Generation/ Second San Francisco Renaissance during the 1970s. The vast Crowe archive was acquired, catalogued & offered for sale as a single item by Third Mind Books (see our item No. 1010), & its individual pieces such as this are being incrementally curated & presented throughout this year of 2025. See also our item No. 3071, Starting From San Francisco, published by TMB, wherein Crowe provides a complete anecdotal history of the BBG/SSFR & its critical collaborations/mentorships with the key figures of the original Beat Generation/ San Francisco Renaissance. Ginsberg was of course among the most important & influential mentors to Crowe & his group, & is referenced extensively in SFSF. A scarce & rewarding Ginsberg collectible, in its singularly rarest original form with very distinguished & relevant provenance. In relatively quite fine condition with mild rubbing, age-toning & faint scratching to front, back covers & stapled spine; very slight wear & a few tiny bumps, creases at edges & corners of same; mild rubbing & mild-to-moderate age-toning to edges of text block. Interior fine with mild-to-moderate age-toning to inner covers & page leaves esp. at blank margins/edges; tiny bumps & small, faint creases at corners of a few page leaves. Fine. [Item #7657]

Price: $30.00 save 15% $25.50