Crosscurrents

San Francisco's beloved City Lights Bookstore turns 60

Holly McDede — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 00:19:27 +0000

Crosscurrents: June 19, 2013

Chris Hoff — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 00:12:33 +0000

A bibliophilic Crosscurrents: City Lights and Marcus Books in San Francisco, HOWL, KALW's summer reading list, and local musician Gautam Ganeshan.

The remaking of Allen Ginsberg's "Howl"

Emily Wilson and emil — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 00:11:50 +0000

In 1956, Lawrence Ferlinghetti decided to publish Allen Ginsberg’s "Howl" in 1956. The seminal poem broke social taboos by talking about drugs and race.

“I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical, naked dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn looking for an angry fix,” the poem reads.

In an era characterized by conformity, “Howl” was a call to self-expression. But history notes that “Howl” became more. In 1957, Ferlinghetti was put on trial for publishing obscene materials. That trial became the center of the free speech movement, and it brought the Beat generation, Ferlinghetti’s bookstore, City Lights, and this wild poem to the world stage.

Historic black bookstore on brink of closure

Holly McDede — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 23:33:38 +0000

Marcus Books opened in 1959, and quickly became a hub for the neighborhood’s black community. Founders Julian and Raye Richardson believed it was the first African American bookstore in America.

SF turns to crowdsourcing for future bikeshare stations

Isabel Angell — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 22:38:01 +0000

Bike sharing is coming to San Francisco and Silicon Valley this August. It’s being launched on a small scale at first – just 750 bikes in the whole system.