Kopkind Colony

And a Reminder: Kopkind’s Pride Weekend Events, 6/27-28

Allen Ginsberg was born 100 years ago, on June 3, 1926. We remember that brave, gentle, howling soul, guide to the power and beauty of the word. Like another of America’s great gay poets, Walt Whitman, Ginsberg contained multitudes. ‘A Supermarket in California’ invokes Whitman — an homage, now, to both these giants of literary imagination and liberation.

Those who attended last year’s lgbt short film fest CineSLAM would have seen the remarkable Allen Ginsberg’s Lost Work. That film, mysteriously, is now nowhere to be found — at least we can’t locate it — which goes to show that you never know what extraordinary treat is to be found at CineSLAM.

Tickets for this year’s CineSLAM, on Saturday, June 27, beginning at 4 pm at the Latchis Theatre in Brattleboro, may be purchased at filmfreeway/cineslam.com.

On Sunday, June 28, we’re hosting a Raise the Rainbow Late Brunch at Tree Frog Farm, 158 Kopkind Road in Guilford. There will be food, drink and a talk by Roger Lancaster, a fascinating thinker and speaker — author, most recently, of The Struggle to Be Gay, in Mexico, for Example. Roger will speak on themes central to his exploration of working-class gay life and the ambiente: ‘the urgency of desire’, the salience of class and material want in the creation of identity, the universal necessity of ‘vistas of freedom’, connection, a better life. (Scroll down to previous post for more.)

There is no charge for Sunday’s event (donations will be gratefully accepted). People must make a reservation, though, so that we have a count for food. Please reserve by writing to JoAnn Wypijewski at jwyp2000@gmail.com.

Happy Pride Month!

Happy 100th Anniversary of the life of Allen Ginsberg!

Come, Raise the Rainbow with us on June 27 and 28!

And now for a snippet from the cutting room floor of Before Stonewall. A peek behind the scenes during Andy Kopkind’s interview with Ginsberg for John Scagliotti et al.’s Emmy-winning documentary on gay life before the uprising. Click on image.