The legendary Beat figure, best known as a publisher and poet, sadly passed away on Feb 22. That City Lights Books continues to this day is a testament to his diligence, defiance and determination. We will publish a full obituary soon.
EBSN 2021 Deadline Extended for Proposals
We’re happy to see all of your proposals coming in for the 10th Annual EBSN conference, which will be held online this fall.
The final deadline for conference submissions has now been extended to March 31st. You can check the call for papers here.
So, if you haven´t, you still have an opportunity to send in your abstracts! If you already submitted your piece, here’s to you!
Podcast interview with Nancy M. Grace

Episode 2 – Nancy M. Grace interviewed by Estíbaliz Encarnación-Pinedo
The EBSN are proud to present the second episode of our podcast “Playback”, an interview with esteemed Beat scholar Nancy M. Grace, founding member of the Beat Studies Association and editor of The Journal of Beat Studies. Discussion includes the future direction of Beat Studies, Women of the Beat Generation, and the legacy of the Beats. Enjoy!
Previous episodes can be found here.
Rare di Prima Phone Conference Reading/Discussion
As a tribute Kurt Hemmer has posted this wonderful conference call between his Beat class in Pullman, Washington and di Prima from 2000. Enjoy!
Interview with A. Robert Lee on The Joan Anderson Letter
We are very pleased to be able to publish a great new interview with A. Robert Lee by Kurt Hemmer about the long awaited publication of Neal Cassady’s ‘Joan Anderson Letter’ via The Black Spring Press Group.
See also Jan Herman’s review article in International Times.

The Center for Gary Snyder Studies Relaunches
Congratulations to Professor Joan Qionglin Tan who has relaunched her “Center for Gary Snyder Studies”, which has moved from Hunan University to the Shanghai University of Economics and Finance. If you are interested to learn more please email Professor Tan – <joantan@hotmail.co.uk>

Review of Gerald Nicosia’s New Book
Read Matthew McLaughlin’s great review of Beat Scrapbook, accompanied by some magical photos contributed by Nicosia himself- here.

Tribute to Diane di Prima
We have just published a wonderfully touching and articulate tribute to Diane di Prima by Estíbaliz Encarnación-Pinedo – please do check it out: This kind of bird flew backwards: Diane di Prima (1934-2020)
Diane di Prima
We are deeply saddened to hear the news of Diane di Prima’s death. A powerful, yet often delicate poet and writer, as well as a tireless teacher and activist who was instrumental in publishing Beat works.
More from The Allen Ginsberg Project here: https://allenginsberg.org/2020/10/diane-di-prima-1934-2020/
ACLA 2021 Virtual Conference “Beat Internationalism” EBSN Seminar CFP

EBSN members Benjamin J. Heal and Erik Mortenson are co-organizing a seminar titled “Beat Internationalism” for next year’s American Comparative Literature Association’s virtual conference (April 8-11 2021). If you are interested in submitting an abstract time is short – please follow the instructions to upload here by 31st October 2020: https://acla.secure-platform.com/a/solicitations/2/sessiongallery
Outline:
The Beat Generation as literary movement is usually regarded as quintessentially American, rooted in the great American tropes of free expression, border crossing and anti-materialism. Often overlooked in favor of other literary movements, this seminar proposes to look beyond the familiar figures of Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac and William Burroughs to investigate the relations between their works, aesthetics and techniques and those of Beat voices from across the globe. The shock waves of the radical poetics of Howl, publicized via the anti-obscenity court case, and the success of On the Road reverberated globally, and can be seen to form a foundation for experimental, politically radical works published around the world. Building on the developing and widening formulations of ‘Beat’ by scholars such as Jimmy Fazzino, this seminar will work towards a definition of ‘Beat Internationalism’ as applied to the works examined, and consider areas of convergence. More theoretical questions pertaining to the transnational turn in American literary studies, and the para-textual nature of Beat literature are also welcome. The Beat legacy continues to be felt across popular culture; with retrospectives and exhibitions featuring work by the Beats continuing to be a success. What do the Beats mean to contemporary audiences, and how are their techniques and styles employed in the works of contemporary writers and artists? How has the radicalism of the Beats manifested internationally?