San Francisco Renaissance
Kenneth Rexroth stood at the center of a literary circle in San Francisco during the 1940s. He was a poet, translator, and critic who corresponded with Ezra Pound and William Carlos Williams. His work appeared in the Objectivist Anthology. Rexroth explored Japanese poetry traditions like haiku early on. Jazz music also shaped his artistic voice. Madeline Gleason served as the movement's founding mother. She befriended younger Berkeley poets including Robert Duncan and William Everson. Jack Spicer and Robin Blaser joined the group later in the late 1940s. Gleason and Duncan read each other's work closely. They criticized one another to sharpen their craft.
April 1947 marked a turning point for experimental verse in California. Madeline Gleason organized an event called the First Festival of Modern Poetry. It took place over two evenings at Marcelle Labaudt's Lucien Labaudt Gallery. The gallery sat at 151 Third Street in San Francisco. Twelve poets performed before an audience of young lovers of poetry. Kenneth Rexroth and Robert Duncan were among those who read aloud. This gathering provided the first public recognition of experimental practices current in the city. The event signaled that a new wave of poetic activity had arrived.
Robert Duncan taught at Black Mountain College during the 1950s. Robert Creeley also held a teaching post there. Both men acted as bridges between West Coast writers and the Black Mountain group. Many San Francisco authors began publishing in Cid Corman's Origin journal. They appeared in the Black Mountain Review, which served as the house organ for the college circle. Jack Spicer developed interest in cante jondo music. That focus led him toward deep image poets. In 1957, Spicer ran a seminar titled Poetry as Magic at San Francisco State College. Duncan participated in that seminar alongside other colleagues.
Donald Allen published an anthology called The New American Poetry 1945, 1960. It became a crucial cultural document for understanding this era. Allen grouped certain poets under the label San Francisco Renaissance within his collection. Marjorie Perloff observed that the anthology defined both poetics and broader cultural dynamics of that historical moment. A particular generation received its name largely because of Allen's work. Critics continue to debate whether the term remains viable today. Some argue the label accurately describes a measurable impact on historical consciousness. Others claim it is merely an arbitrary grouping of unverifiable phenomena. The word itself cannot act as an organizing principle for all social changes occurring then.
Gary Snyder attended Reed College in Portland, Oregon during the early 1950s. Philip Whalen studied there too. Lew Welch was also a student at the same institution. All three stemmed from Rexroth's curriculum before moving to San Francisco. Spicer influenced Whalen and Welch after they arrived. Kirby Doyle lived in San Francisco originally. Bob Kaufman came from New Orleans. They were more reasonably associated with the Beats than others. Lawrence Ferlinghetti studied for a doctorate at the Sorbonne in Paris. He met Kenneth Rexroth while abroad. Rexroth persuaded him to move west. Between 1951 and 1953, Ferlinghetti taught French and wrote literary criticism. He established City Lights Bookstore in 1953. Two years later he began publishing through City Lights Press.
the 7th of October 1955 saw a famous poetry reading at Six Gallery in San Francisco. Gary Snyder, Philip Whalen, and Michael McClure performed alongside others. The event signaled full emergence of the Renaissance into public consciousness. It helped establish the city as a countercultural center that flowered during the hippie years of the 1960s. Jack Kerouac described this gathering in his 1958 novel The Dharma Bums. His account included Allen Ginsberg reading Howl aloud. Alan Watts noted around 1960 that something new was emerging in religion, music, ethics, and attitudes toward nature. Songwriters like Bob Dylan read writers such as Kerouac and Snyder. Much late-1960s rock music developed within the San Francisco Sound. Writers influenced lyrics artistically and shaped attitudes toward living. The San Francisco Oracle gave space to Gary Snyder and Allen Ginsberg among other Beat figures. Lawrence Ferlinghetti appeared on stage in The Last Waltz, a 1978 documentary film about The Band.
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Common questions
Who organized the First Festival of Modern Poetry in 1947?
Madeline Gleason organized the event known as the First Festival of Modern Poetry. The gathering took place over two evenings at Marcelle Labaudt's Lucien Labaudt Gallery on the 151 Third Street address in San Francisco.
When did the famous poetry reading occur at Six Gallery in San Francisco?
The famous poetry reading happened on the 7th of October 1955. Gary Snyder, Philip Whalen, and Michael McClure performed alongside others during this event which signaled full emergence of the Renaissance into public consciousness.
What anthology defined the term San Francisco Renaissance?
Donald Allen published an anthology called The New American Poetry 1945, 1960 that grouped certain poets under the label San Francisco Renaissance. Marjorie Perloff observed that the anthology defined both poetics and broader cultural dynamics of that historical moment.
Where did Lawrence Ferlinghetti study before establishing City Lights Bookstore?
Lawrence Ferlinghetti studied for a doctorate at the Sorbonne in Paris before moving west. He established City Lights Bookstore in 1953 after meeting Kenneth Rexroth while abroad.
Which college did Gary Snyder attend before moving to San Francisco?
Gary Snyder attended Reed College in Portland, Oregon during the early 1950s. Philip Whalen and Lew Welch also studied there before all three stemmed from Rexroth's curriculum and moved to San Francisco.