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38-493: Kenneth Rexroth —poet, translator, critic, and author—is the founding father of the renaissance. Rexroth was a prominent second generation modernist poet who corresponded with Ezra Pound and William Carlos Williams and was published in the Objectivist Anthology . He was amongst the first American poets to explore Japanese poetry traditions such as haiku and was also heavily influenced by jazz . If Rexroth

76-655: A business partner established the City Lights Bookstore and started publishing as City Lights Press two years later. Snyder and Whalen, along with Michael McClure , were among the poets who performed at the famous Six Gallery poetry reading that Kenneth Rexroth organized in San Francisco on October 7, 1955. This reading signaled the full emergence of the San Francisco Renaissance into the public consciousness and helped establish

114-538: A single poem, The Alphabet . He has now begun writing a new poem, Universe , the first section of which appears to be called Revelator . In the 1960s, Silliman attended Merritt College , San Francisco State University and the University of California, Berkeley , but left without attaining a degree. He lived in the San Francisco Bay area for more than 40 years. As a published poet, he has taught in

152-465: A work based on these readings. This collaboration became part of what was called "an experiment in collective autobiography," co-authored by ten of these Language poets in San Francisco. When the project was completed, it consisted of 10 volumes in all. The other nine writers included were Bob Perelman , Barrett Watten , Steve Benson , Carla Harryman , Tom Mandel , Kit Robinson , Lyn Hejinian , Rae Armantrout , and Ted Pearson . "[F]rom 1976 to 1979

190-504: Is also the name of the first poem of The Age of Huts . If and when completed, the entire work will consist of The Age of Huts (1974–1980), Tjanting (1979–1981), The Alphabet (1979–2004), and Universe (2005-). In 1995 Silliman moved to Chester County, Pennsylvania , where he lives with his wife Krishna and two sons. Although he has come to be associated with the Language poets for most of his career, Silliman came of age under

228-535: Is regarded as a central figure in the San Francisco Renaissance , and paved the groundwork for the movement. Although he did not consider himself to be a Beat poet , and disliked the association, he was dubbed the "Father of the Beats" by Time magazine. Largely self-educated, Rexroth learned several languages and translated poems from Chinese , French , Spanish , and Japanese . Rexroth

266-657: The Black Mountain poets . Many of the San Francisco writers began to publish in Cid Corman 's Origin and in the Black Mountain Review , the house journals of the Black Mountain group. Spicer's interest in the cante jondo also led to links with the deep image poets. In 1957, Spicer ran his seminar "Poetry as Magic" at San Francisco State College with Duncan as a participant. Perhaps

304-740: The City Lights Bookstore . Rexroth, a pacifist, was a conscientious objector during World War II . Rexroth trained as an artist and was an avid painter into his 40s. His mediums were usually wax and silica on Masonite or board. In his introduction to an undated auction catalog of Rexroth's paintings, critic Bradford Morrow observes that his early works were mainly abstract, often geometric reminiscent of Mondrian, but that as time went on, Rexroth turned to more figurative treatment of his subjects. Rexroth died in Santa Barbara, California , on June 6, 1982. He had spent his final years translating Japanese and Chinese women poets, as well as promoting

342-415: The 1932 An “Objectivists” Anthology . Much of Rexroth's work can be classified as "erotic" or "love poetry", given his deep fascination with transcendent love. According to Hamill and Kleiner, "nowhere is Rexroth's verse more fully realized than in his erotic poetry". With The Love Poems of Marichiko , Rexroth claimed to have translated the poetry of a contemporary, "young Japanese woman poet", but it

380-762: The 1980 Census Oversight Committee, the Arson Task Force of the San Francisco Fire Department, and the State Department of Health's Task Force on Health Conditions in Locale Detention Facilities. Silliman worked as a market analyst in the computer industry before retiring at the end of 2011. Silliman classifies his poetry as part of a lifework, which he calls Ketjak , a name refers to a form of Balinese dance drama based on an ancient text. "Ketjak"

418-686: The American Tree , a collection of American language poetry, was published by the National Poetry Foundation . In 2012, Silliman was one of three Kelly Writers House Fellows at the University of Pennsylvania , together with Karen Finley and John Barth . In 2010, he received the annual Levinson Prize from the Poetry Foundation. Silliman was a 2003 Literary fellow of the National Endowment for

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456-631: The Beats, their primary sources are West Coast. Kirby Doyle , a native San Franciscan, and Bob Kaufman , originally from New Orleans, were with more reason associated in later accounts with the Beats. Lawrence Ferlinghetti had been studying for a doctorate at the Sorbonne and, while in Paris, met Kenneth Rexroth, who later persuaded him to go to San Francisco to experience the growing literary scene there. Between 1951 and 1953, Ferlinghetti taught French, wrote literary criticism, and painted. In 1953, he and

494-619: The Graduate Writing Program at San Francisco State University , at the University of California at San Diego , at New College of California and, in shorter stints, at Naropa University and Brown University . Silliman has worked as a political organizer, a lobbyist, an ethnographer , a newspaper editor, a director of development, and as the executive editor of the Socialist Review (US) . While in San Francisco, he served on numerous community boards, including

532-490: The San Francisco Renaissance. Though a particular "generation" had now been named (in large part because of the Allen anthology), today the debate continues as to the viability or use of the term San Francisco Renaissance as a "label" to define an entire era or generation. Those who believe the term is accurate will argue on the one hand that indeed a "group" did forge a "renaissance": the impact on our historical consciousness

570-823: The Six Gallery reading, Time referred to him as "Father of the Beats . Rexroth ostensibly appears in Jack Kerouac 's novel The Dharma Bums as Reinhold Cacoethes. As a young man in Chicago, Rexroth was involved with the anarchist movement and was active in the IWW . Fellow poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti recalled that Rexroth self-identified as a philosophical anarchist , regularly associated with other anarchists in North Beach , and sold Italian anarchist newspapers at

608-507: The authors took part in a reading and performance series. The writing project, begun in 1998, was undertaken as an online collaboration, first via an interactive web site and later through a listserv." Silliman's mature critical writing dates to the early/mid-1970s. Asked to discuss the role of reference in poetry, he wrote the essay, "Disappearance of the Author, Appearance of the World," which

646-547: The city's reputation as a center for countercultural activity that came to full flower during the hippie years of the 1960s. A short fictional account of this event forms the second chapter of Jack Kerouac 's 1958 novel The Dharma Bums . In the account, he describes Allen Ginsberg 's famous reading of his poem " Howl ". Kerouac and Ginsberg had attended the reading with some of their poet friends. The Bay Area-based philosopher and writer Alan Watts , in his autobiography, mentioned that by around 1960 or so "... something else

684-614: The country, taking odd jobs and working a stint as a Forest Service trail crew hand, cook and packer at the Marblemount Ranger Station in the Pacific Northwest . In the 1930s, Rexroth was associated with the Objectivists , a largely New York group gathered around Louis Zukofsky and George Oppen . He was included in the 1931 issue of Poetry magazine dedicated to Objectivist poetry, and in

722-473: The crucial cultural document here was (and is) Donald Allen 's anthology The New American Poetry 1945–1960 . In this assemblage, Allen grouped some of the poets as "San Francisco Renaissance", and as Marjorie Perloff observes: Duncan emerg(ed) as the leading poet of this group even as he also belongs to Black Mountain. These poets, who largely became known through oral performance in the Bay Area, include

760-520: The famous Six Gallery reading on October 7, 1955. Rexroth later testified as a defense witness at Ferlinghetti's obscenity trial for publishing "Howl" . Rexroth had previously sent Ginsberg (new in the Bay Area) to meet Snyder, and was thus responsible for their friendship. Lawrence Ferlinghetti named Rexroth as one of his own mentors. Rexroth was eventually critical of the Beat movement. Years after

798-468: The following thirteen: Brother Antoninus (William Everson), Robin Blaser, Jack Spicer, James Broughton , Madeline Gleason , Helen Adam , Lawrence Ferlinghetti , Bruce Boyd , Kirby Doyle , Richard Duerden , Philip Lamantia , Ebbe Borregaard , and Lew Welch . The Allen anthology was central to defining both the poetics and broader cultural dynamics of a particular historical moment now referred to as

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836-406: The impact of multiple, broad and dynamic social, political, and artistic changes in our consciousness. Among those critical of terminology and among those who dare to question how and why it can impact consciousness, asking what that proposes for a definition of the human , perhaps Ron Silliman has been most articulate: ... San Francisco Renaissance is a grouping that I've argued before

874-684: The lyrics, both artistically and in terms of attitudes to living. The "underground press" that developed in America and elsewhere in the 1960s had one of its most interesting and colorful examples in the San Francisco Oracle which reflected the hippie culture and other aspects of the counterculture . The Oracle gave much space to writings by Gary Snyder, Allen Ginsberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Michael McClure, and other Beat writers, along with emerging younger writers. Both Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Michael McClure were featured on-stage in

912-478: The rock-star jammed The Last Waltz , a 1978 documentary and concert film made by Martin Scorsese about The Band (who had an immense following in the late 1960s to mid 1970s), a large number of their musical friends, and the 1976 concert of the same name. Kenneth Rexroth Kenneth Charles Marion Rexroth (December 22, 1905 – June 6, 1982 ) was an American poet, translator, and critical essayist. He

950-627: The sign of Donald Allen 's New American Poetry (1960). Regarding the latter publication, he's said that it is: "unquestionably the most influential single anthology of the last century. It’s a great book, an epoch-making one in many ways." Silliman was first published in Berkeley in 1965. In the 1960s he was published by journals associated with what he calls the School of Quietude , such as Poetry Northwest, TriQuarterly, Southern Review and Poetry. Silliman thought that such early acceptance

988-441: The songwriters of the upcoming rock-music generation of the mid-1960s and later read and appreciated writers like Kerouac, Snyder, McClure, Ferlinghetti, and Ginsberg (e.g., Bob Dylan , for one, has talked about this). Hence, given that much of the late-'60s wave of groundbreaking rock music developed within rock's famous San Francisco Sound , it seems very likely that the writers of the San Francisco Renaissance had an influence on

1026-457: The space of two evenings, she brought twelve poets, including Rexroth, Robert Duncan and Spicer, to an audience of young poets and poetry lovers. This was the first public recognition of the range of experimental poetic practice that was current in the city. During the 1950s, Duncan and Robert Creeley both taught at Black Mountain College and acted as links between the San Francisco poets and

1064-453: The term San Francisco Renaissance argue that beyond that particular use as a label (even if it helps to signal the arrival of a "new" phenomenon not accounted for on our consciousness), a word itself, as such, cannot act for us as an organizing principle. In other words, we are misguided if we do not recognize how this label fails us (beyond a certain usefulness as a label or "grouping") when it comes to truly measuring (much less accounting for)

1102-477: The work of female poets in America and overseas. The year before his death, on Easter, Rexroth converted to Roman Catholicism. (all titles poetry except where indicated) (in chronological order) Ron Silliman Ron Silliman (born August 5, 1946) is an American poet . He has written and edited over 30 books, and has had his poetry and criticism translated into 12 languages. He is often associated with language poetry . Between 1979 and 2004, Silliman wrote

1140-678: Was (and is) measurable. Therefore, for them, the use of the term is still verifiable. On the other hand, there are those who argue that the label San Francisco Renaissance is just that: a label. As a label, therefore, it exists as a convenient and arbitrary "grouping" of something which remains (and even must remain) "unverifiable". Since the impact of such a broad phenomenon on our consciousness cannot be measured, such an impact has not even been recognized or articulated yet, much less addressed as problematic in itself. Beyond defining itself as itself (For example, defining some measurable impact on consciousness or on ourselves as human beings), critics of

1178-590: Was born Kenneth Charles Marion Rexroth in South Bend , Indiana , the son of Charles Rexroth, a pharmaceuticals salesman, and Delia Reed. His childhood was troubled by his father's alcoholism and his mother's chronic illness. His mother died in 1916 and his father in 1919, after which he went to live with his aunt in Chicago and enrolled in the Art Institute of Chicago . At age 19, he hitchhiked across

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1216-571: Was first published in the journal Art Con. Soon he edited a special issue of the magazine Margins, devoted to the work of the poet Clark Coolidge . He began to give talks and contribute essays on a regular basis thereafter. He has said that he was influenced by the "New American Poetry", referring to the poets who were published in Donald Allen's groundbreaking anthology The New American Poetry 1945–1960 . Today, these same figures have been long recognized. In 1986, Silliman's anthology, In

1254-534: Was largely a fiction created by Allen's need to organize his materials Around the same time that Duncan, Spicer and Blaser were at Berkeley, Gary Snyder , Philip Whalen and Lew Welch were attending Reed College in Portland, Oregon. All three stemmed initially from Rexroth and his curriculum and in the early 50s gravitated to the San Francisco area, where Spicer exercised an influence over Whalen and Welch. Although later associated by outsiders and publicists with

1292-478: Was later disclosed that he was the author, and he gained critical recognition for having conveyed so authentically the feelings of someone of another gender and culture. Linda Hamalian, his biographer, suggests that, "translating the work of women poets from China and Japan reveals a transformation of both heart and mind". With Rexroth acting as master of ceremonies, Allen Ginsberg , Philip Lamantia , Michael McClure , Gary Snyder , and Philip Whalen performed at

1330-408: Was less a recognition of his skills than a lack of standards or rigor characteristic of that literary tendency; he began looking for alternatives. Some of these alternatives were initiated through various editing projects that he took part in, which gave him the opportunity to work with a wide range of poets. One of the more influential projects was Silliman's newsletter called Tottels (1970–81), that

1368-555: Was on the way, in religion, in music, in ethics and sexuality, in our attitudes to nature, and in our whole style of life", and described characteristics of a "Clear School" of poetry on whose roll he included "Alice Meynell, Walter de la Mare, Emily Dickinson, Kenneth Rexroth, Karl Shapiro, Jean Burden, and Eric Barker (to name but a few)." Watts asserted that these poets employ traditional rhythms and "say what they have to say with an easy, natural clarity which avoids both clichés and obscure allusions or bizarre, far-fetched images." Some of

1406-537: Was one of the early venues for Language Poetry . He says that "The Dwelling Place," a feature article on nine poets published in Alcheringa (1975), was his "first attempt to write about language poetry". In 1976 and 1977, he co-curated a reading series with Tom Mandel , at the Grand Piano , a coffee house. Nearly three decades later, some of the poets who took part in this series were still collaborating on

1444-582: Was the founding father, Madeline Gleason was the founding mother. During the 1940s, both she and Rexroth befriended a group of younger Berkeley poets consisting of Robert Duncan , and William Everson ; Jack Spicer and Robin Blaser became involved in the late 40s. Gleason and Duncan were particularly close and read and criticized each other's work. In April 1947, Gleason organized the First Festival of Modern Poetry at Marcelle Labaudt's Lucien Labaudt Gallery, 1407 Gough Street, San Francisco. Over

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