A revival of the publication founded by the late, great Beat/Jazz poet Bob Kaufman in 1959; the publication has been revived by his wife Eileen Kaufman. Truly international in scope, with notable poems from Mexico's Juvenal Acosta and Czechoslovakia's Gabriel Ariel Levicky, and a large section devoted to poets from North Beach [San Francisco] including William Cody, Howard Hart and George Tsongas (from "the 90's": "the idea/ of the 90's/ is to derail/ the great/ cerebral/ head fries/ the politicians/ have planned/ for century '21'."). The editor talks of this venture as an attempt at forming a community; but after years of hearing and reading ersatz Beat poetry, this is is like eating an all beef hotdog after months of tastes-like-beef-but-it's-really-chicken dogs. One poem per page, some art, it feels like a pamphlet you might find in somone's basement [editor's note: i did find it in somebody's basement: City Lights']. Solid, enjoyable work guaranteed to send you looking for bongos!--John Stickney
This review originally appeared in TapRoot Reviews #3,
Contact the editor, luigi-bob drake, at Burning Press
Copyright Burning Press 1993, 1995.