LAWRENCE FERLINGHETTI: 100

I unexpectedly found myself in New York City last week. One of the best things about a creative life is that I can grab my gear and run at an opportunity like this. I had pending writing deadlines and some design work to do, but I just grabbed my phone and my laptop and headed for the airport. The Hilma af Klint and Robert Mapplethorpe exhibitions at the Guggenheim were both great — and a great pairing. Casa Ramen's pop-up at The Ramen Lab was the best food I ate in a week of great food. Get the pumpkin broth and go for all the spicy options. Amazing bowl. The most New York moment I had was when I grabbed lunch at a Japanese restaurant in Chinatown while I watched this great interview of Lawrence Ferlinghetti in celebration of his 100th birthday. Here's a bit from the Democracy Now site:

Ferlinghetti, a leading literary figure of the Beat Generation, turned 100 on Sunday. Ferlinghetti is a poet, bookseller, book publisher, artist and activist. In 1953, he co-founded City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco, the first all-paperback bookshop in the country. Two years later, Lawrence Ferlinghetti launched the City Lights publishing house. Both institutions are still running today. City Lights might be best known as the publisher of Allen Ginsberg’s landmark poem “Howl.” It revolutionized American poetry and American consciousness, but it also led to Ferlinghetti and his publishing partner being arrested and put on trial for obscenity.

This is an amazing interview with the great American writer and champion of free speech...