#TBT in the Archives 4/30/15

Did you know that the famous beat poet Allen Ginsberg visited Ship's campus twice in the '80s? As today is the last day of National Poetry Month, we thought we would use this Throwback Thursday to highlight Ginsberg's visits and interviews with students. Allen Ginsberg (1926-1997) was a renowned American poet of the Beat Generation and counterculture of the 1950s and 60s. Hist most famous work, "Howl," is a critique of American capitalism, repression, and subjugation with the opening line: "I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness."

Ginsberg's first trip to Ship was in 1981. He gave an interview for the student literary magazine the Reflector. The Reflector's faculty advisor at the time was John Taggart, a professor of English and poet who was a contemporary of Ginsberg's. In the interview, Ginsberg told the students about his writing and editing process, specifically focusing on "Howl." As a practicing Buddhist, he also discussed meditation and how he incorporated this practice into his writing style. Ginsberg went on to talk about his friendship with Bob Dylan--when they met, how they worked together, and also how he loved Bob Dylan's music. Lastly, Ginsberg discussed his teaching position and relationship with students at Naropa University, a Buddhist-inspired private liberal arts college in Boulder, Colorado. Ginsberg returned to Ship again in the fall of 1989 and he gave another interview for the Reflector while on his way to campus from the Harrisburg airport. In this interview he went into more detail about Naropa University, the structure of "Howl," his influences--Jack Kerouac and T.S. Eliot-- and reflected on his past works.

Want to read Allen Ginsberg's Reflector interviews in full, or learn more about Ship's history? No need to wait for the next Throwback Thursday! Visit Archives & Special Collections during our open research hours, or contact us via e-mail: specialcollections@ship.edu or phone: 717-477-1516.


Sources:
"Ginsberg, Allen." Gale Contextual Encyclopedia of American Literature. Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale, 2009. 602-606. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 29 Apr. 2015.

Rosenthal, Bob. "Ginsberg, Allen (1926-1997). World Poets. Ed. Ron Padgett. Vol. 1. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2000. 381-391. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 29 Apr. 2015.