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A Different Beat: Writings by Women of the Beat GenerationSerpent's Tail ISBN 1-85242-431-1 $13.99"...a mature anthology documenting the life of women in the Beat Generation with humour, irony and even tenderness." -- The List Here are the forgotten women who marched to A Different Beat. They are women who revolted against conventional femininity--women who broke the rules. Their poetry and stories speak to post-feminist women of the '90s in ways that the travels and exploits of the male-dominated Beat counterculture can never hope to. This collection contains work by 27 women who are the missing link to the riot grrrls, angry women, and Thelma and Louise. Now is the time to rescue this rich history from neglect and give the women of the literary renaissance called "Beat" a spotlight, a forum to sound a call to arms, a place to beat their own drums. They have been standing in the shadows long enough. Learn more about Sheri Martinelli. She was one of the two mysteries of the book. I wish I'd talked to Steven Moore before I put the anthology together. See his article and more info about this Vogue model, Beat poet, Ezra Pound disciple, and her incredible life. |
"In theory, I love the Beat writers, but in reality their unrelenting sexism and poor treatment of women gets to me. That's why I am so glad HighRisk has given us this great sampling of writing by women of the Beat Generation." --Bust Magazine "Heroic Rick Peabody helps rescue the women
of the Beat Generation from the neglect accorded them as being,
in Joyce Johnson's words, Minor Charaters. Hardly surprising
considering the position of women through the ages. Yet, the women
are there, responding to and adding special qualities to 'the call'....The
writings are provocative in themselves; they are indispensible
for a full sense of the significance of the Beats in a world
of men and women." "It is as if we were archaeologists
encountering the long lost tomb of the Beat Women of the 1950s,
covered with the desert dust of misogyny, business interests and
indifference. But polish off the dust of male convention and what
have you and the words are beaming out strong." "This well-balanced anthology,
which should focus more attention on Beat women, is recommended
for all literature collections." "But A Different Beat reveals
an alternative history of Beat literature, and is a time of enormous
change for women in America; Challenging the norms of their day,
with painful, sometimes tragic consequences." "A Different Beat reveals an alternative
history of Beat literature, and is a welcome insight and long-awaited
addition to the Beat Canon." "A refreshing look at the contribution
of women writers to the beat generation genre so often represented
by Mr. Kerouac and his boozy boys club....this collection provides
an informative link in feminist history as well as being a powerful
collection of work in its own right." "There are some surprising treasures
here." "A Different Beat is a fine anthology
of writing by outcasts from a previous boys' club, the Fifties
beats." "The timing is perfect. Women
seemed missing from official collections of Beat writing. The women
I heard in Greenwich Village seemed rebels--daring, mysterious,
strong, able with magical images to say what I hadn't heard women
say....Present Tense writing by young women writing passionately
from within, who insist women 'trust yourself' and refuse to be
stereotyped, emerging award, conscious and engaged." "A Different Beat celebrates the
voices of the women who participated in this important literary
movement. Their work is essential in helping us understand the
social and cultural context of their times." |
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