2008 Woodie Awards
Ginsberg legacy lives on at WCU
By Garrett Santora
Issue date: 4/7/08 Section: News
On April 12, 1997, a week after his death, Allen Ginsberg was honored by friends and family at a poetry reading at an Episcopal church in Manhattan.
Monday night, West Chester University honored the contentious beat poet in its own way by having an expert panel discuss Ginsberg's work, followed by a showing of a documentary entitled, "The Life and Times of Allen Ginsberg."
The panel consisted of three members; Tim Ray from the WCU English Department, Amy Friedman, professor at Ursinus College and Thomas Bierowski, professor at Alevernia College. The program was moderated by Jennie Skerl, the Associate Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, beat scholar and author of "Reconstructing the Beats."
Skerl began the discussion by saying, "I was lucky enough to attend some of his readings and meet him several times," and concluded her introduction by noting that "Allen Ginsberg was different than most poets."
After the brief introduction from Skerl and the rest of the panel, the discussion commenced and Ginsberg's poem "Howl," became the centralized topic of the evening.
"Howl" is one of Ginsberg's most famous poems and when the panel was asked why "Howl" had such a great impact when it was first read in 1955 and when it was published in 1956, Thomas Bierowski simply replied by saying, "Ginsberg's 'Howl' showed us that everything's not exactly all right."
"'Howl' had a great impact because it proved prosperity is not enough for some people," Bierowski said.
Ray summed up the poem in the plainest terms by saying, "It challenges the status quo."
"Howl" shocked the placid culture of the 1950's, packed with a surfeit of obscenities and uncompromising thought that was well ahead of its time. After attempts to keep "Howl" from bookstores and an extensive court case that sought to deem "Howl" obscene, the poem emerged victorious.
The panel agreed that, 'Howl' is still on the line today, implying that many still feel the poem is controversial despite others who feel the poem is tepid compared to some of the iconoclastic literature that has shown up since the 1950s.
Monday night, West Chester University honored the contentious beat poet in its own way by having an expert panel discuss Ginsberg's work, followed by a showing of a documentary entitled, "The Life and Times of Allen Ginsberg."
The panel consisted of three members; Tim Ray from the WCU English Department, Amy Friedman, professor at Ursinus College and Thomas Bierowski, professor at Alevernia College. The program was moderated by Jennie Skerl, the Associate Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, beat scholar and author of "Reconstructing the Beats."
Skerl began the discussion by saying, "I was lucky enough to attend some of his readings and meet him several times," and concluded her introduction by noting that "Allen Ginsberg was different than most poets."
After the brief introduction from Skerl and the rest of the panel, the discussion commenced and Ginsberg's poem "Howl," became the centralized topic of the evening.
"Howl" is one of Ginsberg's most famous poems and when the panel was asked why "Howl" had such a great impact when it was first read in 1955 and when it was published in 1956, Thomas Bierowski simply replied by saying, "Ginsberg's 'Howl' showed us that everything's not exactly all right."
"'Howl' had a great impact because it proved prosperity is not enough for some people," Bierowski said.
Ray summed up the poem in the plainest terms by saying, "It challenges the status quo."
"Howl" shocked the placid culture of the 1950's, packed with a surfeit of obscenities and uncompromising thought that was well ahead of its time. After attempts to keep "Howl" from bookstores and an extensive court case that sought to deem "Howl" obscene, the poem emerged victorious.
The panel agreed that, 'Howl' is still on the line today, implying that many still feel the poem is controversial despite others who feel the poem is tepid compared to some of the iconoclastic literature that has shown up since the 1950s.
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