The EBSN brings together, from across and beyond Europe, those who share an academic or creative interest in the broad field of Beat culture. The EBSN aims to be inclusive; a genuine community of scholars and students, writers and artists, which not only reaches out to all kinds of people who work on the Beats, but also actively invites their participation.
You don’t need an academic affiliation to join, and there are no fees for becoming a member (though you may choose to contribute to our costs via Patreon). The aim of this website is to make a space for conversations, postings of news and events, scholarly discussions, links to other sites, and to share information about members (see Members page).
Established in 2010 as an informal organization dedicated to promoting and sharing critical and creative work in the Beat field, the EBSN has nearly 200 members from across the world and is managed by a 5-member Board: Oliver Harris (President), Polina Mackay (Vice President), Benjamin J. Heal, Raven See, and Frida Forsgren. It is supported by an Advisory Council which includes: Franca Bellarsi, Jaap van der Bent, R.J. Ellis, Douglas Field, A. Robert Lee, Erik Mortenson, Lars Movin, Peggy Pacini, Davis Schneiderman, Bent Sørensen, Chelsea Stripe, and Chad Weidner, who represent the international range and disciplinary variety of the membership. The EBSN organizes annual conferences that are open to all members. If you would like to become a member, please email us a preferred contact address, together with a list of research interests or other relevant information for posting on the Members Page.
Polina Mackay discusses the formation and aims of the EBSN in this interview with Paul Nelson:
2016 Conference
The Fifth Annual Conference, co-organised by Doug Field and Oliver Harris, was held in Manchester, hosted by The Wonder Inn, a city centre community arts venue. Reflecting the conference’s two central themes of music and science, there were keynote talks from CP Lee, a legend of Manchester’s music scene of the 1970s and ’80s, and from Andrew Lees, Professor of Neurology at UCL. From America, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, The Netherlands, Norway, South Korea, Spain, Turkey, and the UK, over 100 scholars, students, poets, musicians, filmmakers and publishers attended or participated, including performances by Libby Houston and Pete Brown, The Band of Holy Joy and Eric Andersen.
See conference page for more images. Reports to follow.
Contact Info:
For general queries please email: info [at] ebsn.eu. If you would like to contact Oliver Harris (President) or Polina Mackay (Vice President) we would love to hear from you. For changes, additions, or suggestions for the website email info [at] ebsn.eu or Raven See (Events Coordinator).
Alternatively use the contact form below:
