Various (Shulman, Matthew (Editor); levy, d.a. et al.)

Cleveland Tribunal Vol. II No. III (April 1, 1968)

Cleveland, OH: N. E. D. and J. Frog, 1968. First Edition, First Printing. "If sometimes our great artists have been the most critical of our society, it is because their sensitivity and their concern for justice which must motivate any true artist, makes them aware that our nation falls short of its highest potential. I see little of more importance to the future of our country and our civilization than thankful recognition of the place of the artist." (John F. Kennedy, quote from cover page). Cleveland Tribunal Vol. II No. III, an underground publication featuring poet, publisher, impresario and countercultural martyr d.a. levy (1942-1968) of Cleveland, Ohio. levy was born in 1942 in West Cleveland, growing up along the Cuyahoga River and coming of age when the Beat scene had just begun to thrust itself into national notoriety. levy, although attracted to the poetry of his pioneering comrades-in-arms, refused to migrate permanently to New York or San Francisco, the most active centers of the Beat movement and the burgeoning Mimeograph Revolution. Instead, levy opted to bring to his community in Cleveland a self-styled segment of the Mimeo Revolution with its own cast of characters and culture subversives. Starting in 1963, levy and his contemporaries such as Kent Taylor (b. 1940) began to do just that: holding readings, publishing the work of local poets, and genuinely attempting to bring some sort of literary renaissance to a town that had never known one. In 1966, he was indicted for distributing obscene poetry to minors. He was arrested again in 1967, and his pressing materials were confiscated. A benefit reading on May 14, 1967, on the Case Institute of Technology campus in Cleveland featured such figures as Beat Generation groundbreaker Allen Ginsberg (1926-1997), counterculture poet Tuli Kupferberg (1923-2010) and his rock band the Fugs. By the time this paper was released, the obscenity charges against levy had been dropped, but the toll of his public ostracization and court challenges were in full effect, with levy taking his life just 7 months post release. levy's poem They said you went everywhere is a dark and foreboding ode to his friend Stan Heilbrum, at one point stating: "...they tried to extinguish | your light in their imitation | courtrooms and jails with | lawyers & death songs |& legal word dances..." Cover article updates readers about a devastaing fire at the local coffee house and meeting place, Cleo, and the conspiracies surrounding it. Cleveland native and Tribunal editor Matthew Shulman reminds voters to vote in their local politcal primaries while advocating against the Vietnam War. With contributions from Fred Smith & the Youth International Party as well as classified ads & contemporary ads for local performances of British thespian Terence Stamp (b. 1938) and American guitar legend Jimi Hendrix (1942-1970) and so much more. First & only printing. A rare & collectible issue of the iconic Cleveland underground newspaper. In relatively fine-to-very fine condition with only minor wear to fine edges, some expected discoloration/age-toning mostly to outer edges; slight creasing & tearing at fine edges, mostly at folds/outer edges. Fine-Very Fine. [Item #7975]

Price: $50.00