Strange Cargo offers several Beat and Beat-inspired logos on about seven colors of shirt. Included are Jack Kerouac, William S. Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, Kurt Vonnegut, Hunter S. Thompson and Charles Bukowski. The designs chosen are iconic representations of each figure, but am I the only one who thinks the Burroughs needs to be scaled up a bit?

As an added bonus, the entrepreneurs at Strange Cargo have been nice enough to create a unique coupon code for readers of this blog. From now until February 21, 2010 you can save 20% when you enter the code “beatgen0809″ at checkout.

Thanks for reading.

A video of a pretty girl reading poetry in the woods will get you on a blog.

Howl [Vimeo]

Over at Meetup, people all around the world have made it known that they are interested in the Beats. And thanks to Google, public APIs and, I’m sure, tons of other factors, we have this graphical representation, or map, that shows us where they all are.

This print, simply entitled “Jack Kerouac”, is available in lakeillustration‘s Etsy store for $16, plus shipping.

This is a, limited edition, illustration titled – ‘JACK KEROUAC’. It is printed on the finest archival matte canvas paper.

This is a 220gsm Heavyweight canvas textured effect paper. The surface has a canvas texture and the colours of the print, are extremely strong and vibrant.

The print is part of a limited edition of 50 and is an original illustration numbered, signed and titled by hand by the artist.

SIZE OF PRINT : 8.7 inches x 11.5 inches
(22cm x 28.5cm)

Jack Kerouac – Red on Blue [Etsy]

This tattoo of Charles Bukowski’s “Roll the Dice” is worn by Leah and was found somewhere in the middle of LargoPoet‘s flickr stream.

Notice also the subtle feminism of changing “girlfriends, wives” to “boyfriends, husbands”.

Full poem after the break.

if you’re going to try, go all the
way.
otherwise, don’t even start.

if you’re going to try, go all the
way.
this could mean losing girlfriends,
wives, relatives, jobs and
maybe your mind.

go all the way.
it could mean not eating for 3 or 4 days.
it could mean freezing on a
park bench.
it could mean jail,
it could mean derision,
mockery,
isolation.
isolation is the gift,
all the others are a test of your
endurance, of
how much you really want to
do it.
and you’ll do it
despite rejection and the worst odds
and it will be better than
anything else
you can imagine.

if you’re going to try,
go all the way.
there is no other feeling like
that.
you will be alone with the gods
and the nights will flame with
fire.

do it, do it, do it.
do it.

all the way
all the way.

you will ride life straight to
perfect laughter, its
the only good fight
there is.

- Charles Bukowski

Poemhunter.com, an online aggregator of searchable poetry, published a 176-page PDF of Bukowski’s work as part of their “Classic Poetry Series” in 2004, entitling it simply “poems”.

The people at Poemhunter say that, “Although Bukowski was never truly associated with Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, or other major Beat writers, his informal style and non-conforming literary approach has endeared him to readers of the Beat genre.”

Here’s the PDF, which includes such favorites of mine as “Trachcan Lives”, “Poetry” and “Oh yes”.

Joseph Matheny sent me a link to this interview that he did with Diane di Prima in 1992. More of Joseph’s writing can be found at his website.

If you’re saying to yourself, “di Prima?” you are one of the main reasons I wrote this article. Even if you have heard of Diane’s work you have to admit, in a field that already has an amazing paucity of women, to overlook even one seems like a capital crime, especially this one. Diane di Prima is a San Francisco writer and poet who works in healing, Magick, and Alchemy.

I spoke to Diane on 9-22-92 in her cozy book lined SF apartment. We spoke of rebellion, liberty, conditioning, and on being a women in the beat generation.

Read it in its entirety here.

(Thanks, Joseph!)

Released as promotional material for the Lowell Spinners in 2003, this Jack Kerouac bobblehead, of which only 1,000 were made, now sits in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Jack Kerouac bobblehead doll on road to baseball hall of fame [The Boston Globe]

But in a good way. A few months back, I featured a great drawing from The American Dissident. G. Tod Slone aka P. Maudit, the creator, found that I had blogged about it and sent the following note along to me:

Bravo to you for being so open, so truly what Beatnik should be, in lieu of the titulary canonic inanity pumping up the myth. Thanks for publishing the toon!

G. Tod Slone, Founding Editor, 1998

To say thanks for his words of unabashed encouragement, I’m posting another one of his cartoons. Thanks for reading, G. Tod Slone.

From fuegero‘s blip.fm stream.

(Thanks, @kinolina!)

Allen Ginsberg – Poem Rocket [Blip.fm]