September 4th, 2007
Yesterday Lawrence Ferlinghetti was interviewed by Amy Goodman in her show, Democracy Now! The interview can be listened, watched or read on this web page or downloaded on itunes podacast. It’s an hour conversation in which Ferlinghetti talks, among other things, about his poems, about his City Lights bookstore, Allen Ginberg, Jack Kerouac and his visit to Cuba with Pablo Neruda. Don’t miss it!
Here an excerpt:
AMY GOODMAN: Well, Lawrence Ferlinghetti your advice to young people, young poets, to citizens of the world.
LAWRENCE FERLINGHETTI: Do you have to be a poet? If you don’t have to be a poet, be a prose writer. You’ll get further faster. Poetry — there’s probably more poetry published today than any time in the history of the world. Nevertheless, there is this — people think they have this blindness when they see a line in the typography of poetry, and it just blocks them. So if you can say the same thing in prose, you’ll probably be better off.
August 27th, 2007
Don’t worry, I’m still not ready to let you know my personal feelings about “Revolution”, I mean, political revolution, not now and maybe not in the so near future (but I’m working on it).
A couple of weeks ago I read this good article about Jack London’s memoir “The Road” and its relation with the more famous Kerouac’s Road. The article is a “preview” of the following Jonah Raskin’s anthlogy, “The Radical Jack London: Writings on War and Revolution” which it will be published next year. I did’t read much of London, probably something when I was a kid, you know some of “The Call of the Wild”, “White Fang”, that kind of stories. In my mind London’s been for many years a writer of “children stories” and even during college I did’t had the chance to go into his works. I think that, thanks to Raskin’s next book I’d eventually hit the road to London.
August 18th, 2007
If you want to eat the best apple pie, then go to Col du Lautaret on the French Alps. I don’t know what’s their secret ingredient, but everytime I stop there I couldn’t help buying this awesome pie. They also have other great pies, one filled with blueberry jam (homemade) and another one made of dry fruits topped with honey. If you are in the area or if you think to pass through the col in the future , don’t miss those pies: once reached the col it’s not difficult to find them ‘couse there’s only one shop who sells pies (and other regional products such as cheese and hams).
Tomorrow I’ll be back at home. (I’m currently writing from Montgenevre). I spent a great week in the mountains, training for my probably last race of the year, next september. I rode almost 500 kms with more than 10.000 metres of ascent, climbing new cols and lowering my personal best on the Alpe D’Huez, now set at 53min 55sec.
day 1: Montgenevre – Briancon – Col du Lautaret – Bourg d’Oisans – Alpe D’Huez (2 cols, 92km, 1950m ascent).
day 2: Alpe D’Huez – Alpe D’Huez (1 col, 42km, 1150m ascent).
day 3: Alpe D’Huez – Barrage du Verney – Col de la Croix de Fer – Pont de Belleville – Col du Mollard – S. Jean de Maurienne – S.Michel de Maurienne – Col du Telegraphe – Valloire – Col du Galibier – Bourg d’Oisans – Alpe D’Huez (5 Cols, 205km, 5300m ascent).
day 4: Briancon – Guillestre – Col d’Izoard – Briancon – Montgenevre (2 Cols, 102km, 2360m ascent).
