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Now Available at Amazon.com Spring 2011
THE HUMMINGBIRD REVIEW Vol. II, No. 1 • Winter/Spring 2011 Table of Contents
CHARLES REDNER Publisher’s statement
Sing Praise for the Words! Muse please, do not fail me now. I begin each issue with “Sing praise for the words.” Don’t believe there is a more appropriate oath for this labor of love we named, The Hummingbird Review. To wit, the issue you now hold, shines a laser-lamp on one of the most electrifying, dramatic and fruitful ages in American literature, proclaimed the “Beat Generation” by other than the exceptional writers who lived it. Read the reflections of a few octogenarians who participated. We bring you a glimpse of the energy field that they generated. Overhear Jack Kerouac talking with David Amram. Follow Gary Snyder as he walks through six decades of poetry at his Kitkitdizze home. Another clan member, poet Gary Lawless, chips in with lyrics reminiscent of a tale from the Korean or Vietnam Wars – although it would be apropos for any conflict. Among those learning from the West Coast Beats in Berkeley was Kate Harding, who shares the experience in one of her three poems this issue. Alone with me in the basement of a New Jersey motor lodge, a presidential candidate who vigorously campaigned against the Vietnam War took off his suit coat. Two secret service agents remained stationed at the top of the stairs. He unbuttoned and removed his shirt, unbuckled his belt, stripped to his shorts and handed me each article of clothing as he dressed in more “conservative” attire. He explained that he was heading to New York City and didn’t want the folks back in South Dakota, via national television coverage, to see how he appeared during the luncheon stump-speech delivered minutes earlier. Now I possessed the answer to the burning question of the ’72 campaign, asked by at least one reporter at each stop. The candidate glared at me and said, “Charlie, swear—swear you’ll never give the answer to the boxers or briefs question.” “Yes, Senator, I promise.” But I wondered if travelling campaign reporter, Hunter S. (Gonzo) Thompson, if he knew, would keep Sen. George McGovern’s deepest personal secret. I imagined not. I retell this incident now because Thompson was greatly influenced by the “Beat Generation” writers. He counted William Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg among his circle of friends. Of the nearly three hundred who attended Thompson’s funeral in 2005, George McGovern was there to bid farewell to his old friend. Hope you enjoy our look back at these mid-20th Century writers who carved out a special place for themselves in American literature. I suggest you start with “Morning Tea with Gary Snyder” by our editor, Bob Yehling, himself a decades-long student of Beat literature. (To note: Bob dipped into the nurturing force of the Beat literature movement, City Lights Books in San Francisco, on this past Christmas Eve, to buy a copy of the first scroll/draft of Kerouac’s On The Road.) Can you say Novels ‘R’ Us? Academy Award writer Michael Blake graciously sends us an exclusive chapter from his new novella, Into The Stars. During World War I, Michael finds a way to tell a love story of a man for a horse. Newcomer William Thompson Ong shares a chapter from The Lake, his soon to published historical drama set against the backdrop of a great American tragedy, the Johnstown Flood of May 31, 1889. We have been blessed by so many brilliant writers who have graciously provided us with their work. It constantly amazes me how generous these renowned contributors are with their time and their writings. This time around, National Book Award nominee Harvey Stanbrough presents us with a short story, along with a few poems. Continuing with our multicultural offerings in every issue, we feature Native-American Joy Harjo, Mexican-American Isaac Lomeli, and Chinese-American Mai Lon Gittelsohn. The September 2010 Southern California Writers’ Conference contest winner, E. Scott Menter, shares his poignant title, “Dolphinarium.” Some twenty writers fill out our line-up with an incredible variety of amazing poems. Our goal is to share the words of established writers while, at the same time, reach out to help up new writers who may someday become the “Beat Generation” of their day.
Charles Redner, publisher
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