Mind Writing Slogans (1994) by Allen Ginsberg

Allen Ginsberg was an American poet and writer. As a student at Columbia University in the 1940s, he began friendships with William S. Burroughs and Jack Kerouac, forming the core of the Beat Generation. He changed American poetry with the publication of his first book, Howl and other Poems in 1956. He vigorously opposed militarism, economic materialism, and sexual repression, and he embodied various aspects of this counterculture with his views on drugs, sex, multiculturalism, hostility to bureaucracy, and openness to Eastern religions. As a poet, teacher, and cultural catalyst, Ginsberg inspired generations to "write their minds." This little book was printed as a commemorative of "The Beats and Other Rebel Angels" conference honoring the poet, held in Boulder Colorado in July of 1994. He passed away on April 5, 1997.

Mind Writing Slogans can be seen as a little inspirational pocket guide to the creative process from one of the greatest poets of the 20th century. A companion to Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s The Street’s Kiss published by Limberlost.

"First thought is best in art, second in other matters." — William Blake from "Definitions, a Preface"

"Two decades’ experiences teaching poetics at Naropa Institute, half decade at Brooklyn College, and occasional workshops at Zen Center and Shambhala/Dharmadhatu weekends have been boiled down to brief mottos from many sources found useful to guide myself and others in the experiences of writing the mind." — Allen Ginsberg