Books published by Beatdom Books

Allen Ginsberg was not just a poet; he was one of the most recognizable and outspoken public figures of the late twentieth century. From the mid-fifties onward, Ginsberg was rarely out of the public consciousness as he raised civic and spiritual awareness for all causes large and small. He traveled the world, reading poetry in more than sixty countries, and managed to organize university degrees and mentor young poets.Arranging Allen's life took a team of dedicated and talented people, and of these people poet Bob Rosenthal worked as Allen's personal secretary over two decades. In this intimate new book, he tells what it was like to be behind the scenes of the Allen Ginsberg industry. From first encounter to Ginsberg's death, Rosenthal recounts the highs and lows of employment in the internationally most-famous-living poet's circle, in a book that is in turns poignant and hilarious, always fascinating.

In the 1950s, the authors of the Beat Generation helped introduce American readers to Eastern philosophies and, in particular, to Buddhism. Poets like Allen Ginsberg, Gary Snyder, and Jack Kerouac are often credited with this phenomenon, while, as is so often the case, the women are sidelined.In this illuminating new study, Max Orsini examines the impact of two female poets, Diane di Prima and Lenore Kandel, in shaping American Buddhist poetics. Orsini charts the evolution of their poetry against a backdrop of cultural conservatism, and explores the journeys they set out on that were very different from those trodden by their male counterparts.