Anne Waldman, an internationally recognized poet, appreciates the culture in Europe where young writers seek mentors, often picking their brains in coffee shops.
And, in a way, Naropa University re-creates that kind of atmosphere with its annual Summer Writing Program, which Waldman founded with fellow poet Allen Ginsberg in 1974. The program runs through July 8 and features workshops, lectures, panels, book signings and student readings.
The program draws students earning course credits, as well as poets, teachers, musicians, activists, performance artists, Buddhist teachers and others working in small-press publishing. Readings are open to the public.
The program is presented by Naropa University and the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics.
When Waldman and Ginsberg were dreaming up the now-famed Summer Writing Program, they imagined bringing artists together in Boulder, creating a Beat-writer counterculture.
During its first week, the Summer Writing Program participants explored political discourse and the values of truth and accountability. They focused on memory, addressing the question, “How do we work with rescuing the work of others, and consider the technologies for future preservation?”
This week, international communities will be among the focuses, and workshops will be led by writers, including Bob Holman, Laird Hunt and Danielle Dutton.
Other well-known guests on this year’s roster include Thurston Moore, singer, songwriter and guitarist in Sonic Youth; Laurie Anderson, an experimental performance artist and musician; and Amiri Baraka, a poet and writer of essays and fiction.
