February 13 – April 10, 2008
Library flat and wall cases
This wall case exhibit celebrates the earliest recording of Allen Ginsberg’s best-known poem, “Howl,” recently identified in the Reed archives. Ginsberg and Gary Snyder ’51 stopped off at Reed to give a reading while on a Pacific Northwest road trip in February of 1956. This followed their October, 1955, explosive readings in San Francisco that brought the Beat Poets into the public eye. Included is the issue of The Quest announcing a “poetry reading” in Anna Mann on February 13th, 1956, the box lid of the 8″ reel-to-reel tape, and the two post cards written by Ginsberg and Snyder at this time to their friend, Philip Whalen ’51.
The larger part of the exhibit displays correspondence, photographs, manuscripts, and published titles of Beat poets Snyder, Whalen, Lew Welch ’50, Allen Ginsberg, and Jack Kerouac. Their lively friendship and connection with Reed is clear in their many letters and often in their poems.