That’s two generations’ full of inspiration, poetry life, and what passed at that time for “achievement.” But it was the third generation that was the explosion. At the center were two couples: Richard Friedman and Darlene Pearlstein, and Bob Rosenthal and Shelley Kraut, along with the Jarryesque Peter Kostakis. This crew not only ran the weekly series at The Body Politic but also published the seminal Milk Quarterly which gave rise to The Yellow Press and various books, including Barry Schachter’s The Grand Etcetera and the fabulous anthology, The Hat Issue. Art Lange was writing for Downbeat and publishing his own magazine, Brilliant Corners. Maxine Chernoff and Paul Hoover had their magazine [Pig], which later would morph into New American Writing as Paul took over the Northeastern seat and Maxine and he twinned and now they are at San Francisco State (note to self: someday maybe write about all the totally great POEMS). Allan and Cinda Kornblum had started Toothpaste Press, which would evolve into the analogue of Big Table: Coffee House. The Actualists were about, with their one-word and later one-letter poems, their great Actualist plays, and of course, Dave Morice’s Poetry Comics.
Neil Hackman was editing his magazine Out There and eating Polish dogs -- this long before he became Breath of Fire yogi Ravi Singh. Did that transition occur when he discovered that Rose Lesniak was a lesbian, this long before she became a child-protecting private eye in Miami? Barb Barg, founding mother of Homer Erotic. Chassler, whose great song with Avant Squares, “It’s All Bullshit (There’s No Reason to Try)” resonates still, the Nihilist’s Liberty Bell. And a million other knights and daisies. Steve Levine, maybe the best poet of the lot, Jim Hanson. Terry Jacobus and Al Simmons -- we went to hear the blues and they were ready to precurse slam with their bouts (Jerome Sala: undefeated). A million more. John Prine breaks at the Knight. WE ARE SIMULTANEOUSLY HERE AND THERE.
And then, in 1973-4, everyone moved to New York. Well, I did, and Bob and Shelley did (still a decade before Bob became Allen Ginsberg’s secretary), and Ted and Alice did, and Steve and Ravi and Rose, Barb, Chas, Steve. Soon to follow would be Elaine Equi and Jerome Sala. The Actualists and Kornblums were off to Iowa City, and eventually to Minneapolis.
Which is the fundamental change: in the Brave New poetry World, Chicago does not move off (well, Patricia Smith and Michael Brown did). But Lisa Buscani came back to direct the Poetry Center of Chicago. All hail Michael Warr (founding director of the Guild Complex literary center, Luis Rodriguez, Marc Smith, Cin Salach, Tate, the Spices gang et al.... All hail Regie “love jones” Gibson, Two Rivers, Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind[link], [link url=http://heintz.e-poets.net/]Kurt Heintz and the e-poets network, Jean Howard and VideoPo, Sheila Donohue, the Weeds tavern readings, the passing of Righteous Rudnick.... And Chi-town continues to churn em out. Marc Smith continues to abide in Berwyn, Quraysh Ali Lansana and family are safely ensconced back in town. Luis Rodriguez has hewaded off to Sylmar to found the amazing Tia Chucha Cafe Culturale, Tara Betts has found her way to NYC and Kelly Tsai lives in the Big Apple part-time. Chicago is not just the North Side avant garde of the early 70s: Chicago is now the model of the All-World Poetry City. All hail Gwendolyn Brooks!
