[Poetry reading at the Creative Arts Festival, Kent State University, April 6- April 7, 1971] / Robert Duncan, Allen Ginsberg, Richard Grossinger.

Recorded at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio on April 6-7, 1971 on four 7 inch Scotch reel-to-reel tapes. Recorded by Robert J. Bertholf, while serving as Professor of English and organizer of the Creative Arts Festival at Kent State University. Recording was donated to the Poetry Collection at the University at Buffalo, where Bertholf subsequently served as Curator

This reading by Robert Duncan, Allen Ginsberg, and Richard Grossinger was held as part of the Creative Arts Festival at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio on April 6-7, 1971. Disc CUR028 features the April 6, 1971 event at which Robert Duncan read an early version of "Passages 35, before the judgment." No introduction, commentary, or closing remarks were made. Discs CUR030 and CUR027 feature a reading by Duncan, Ginsberg and Grossinger.^On disc CUR030, Ginsberg began by chanting a mantra, Duncan then introduced Grossinger, who read short prose pieces from The continents (1973) and Book of the Cranberry Islands (1974), and then Duncan read "The fire, passages 13." The recording ends in the middle of "The fire, passages 13" and resumes on disc CUR027 at the line "The Christ closes His eyes, bearing the Cross." Duncan read "The light, passages 28" and "Achilles' song" and sang Medea's song at the end of act one of Medea at Kolchis, the play Duncan wrote and published at Black Mountain College in 1956. The song begins "Ah, knave, knave that my heart sees." Before reading the final poem, Duncan said "Now I'm going to close by reading two sections of a poem that I'm going to work on, which is called 'Santa Cruz Propositions.' It's a mystery poem, so I'm not amazed that all of it hasn't arrived, and I do not know what's going to happen in it because only as it arrives do I know what's going on.^^In between, I pray that it will arrive again and I also pray that it won't, because events come along with it, the only kind that would be near magic. However, this is not in my hands. I put it in the hands of divine powers, so it's not really magic." Disc CUR029 features a recording of Grossinger talking, then Ginsberg reading his own poems and singing "The Voice of the Ancient Bard" by William Blake and reading "Poem ('Khrushchev is coming on the right day!') by Frank O'Hara and "The instruction manual" by John Ashbery, followed by Robert Duncan talking and reading "The Songs of Maximus (song 6)" by Charles Olson, and Grossinger having the closing words of the discussion.

Robert Duncan, Allen Ginsberg, Richard Grossinger.

The Poetry Collection of the University Libraries. Digital conversion was made possible through a 2009 National Endowment for the Humanities grant.

1971

Sound recording

CUR030

Disc CUR028.April 6, 1971, Robert Duncan reading:Passages 35, before the Judgment. --Disc CUR030.(beginning of April 7, 1961 Duncan, Ginsberg, Grossinger reading):Mantra /Allen Ginsberg --At Christmas /Robert Duncan --from The Continents:Robin Mitchell /Richard Grossinger --"is not the beginning." /Grossinger --from Book of the Cranberry Islands:Ben Worcester's lot /Grossinger --first line of piece:[The hallway is lit with princes] -- The fire, passages 13. --Disc CUR027.(continuation of April 7, 1961 Duncan, Ginsberg, Grossinger reading):The fire, passages 13 --The light, passages 28 --Achilles' song --from the play Medea at Kolchis: first line of song:[Ah, knave, knave that my heart sees] --Santa Cruz propositions. --Disc CUR029.April 7, 1961 Duncan, Ginsberg, Grossinger reading:A western ballad /Allen Ginsberg --Stanzas: Written at night in Radio City /Ginsberg --The bricklayer's lunch hour /Ginsberg --In society /Ginsberg --The voice of ancient bard /Ginsberg --A poem on America /Ginsberg --Poem ( 'Khrushchev is coming on the right day!) /written by Frank O'Hara, read by Ginsberg --The instruction manual /written by John Ashbeyr, read by Ginsberg -- The songs of Maxiums (song 6) /written by Charles Olson, read by Robert Duncan.

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