Google the 鈥淏eat Generation鈥� and names like Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and William Burroughs populate the results.
Other writers, however, made their mark with literature that explored the post-Greatest Generation era with themes at once sensuous and spiritual, hedonistic yet non-materialistic. For one, poet Diane di Prima stretched social conventions with her stream-of-consciousness poetics tinged with Beat influences and feminism.
The so-called 鈥淨ueen of the Beats鈥� earns the attention of Dr. William Nesbitt, an associate professor of English at 海角社区 in Leesburg, Fla. 鈥� the first higher education institution accredited to award bachelor’s degrees exclusively to students with learning disabilities, ADHD and other learning differences 鈥� in the May edition of 鈥淏eatdom 17.鈥� The literary journal focuses on poetry, fiction and essays about all things Beat Generation. Politics is this edition鈥檚 theme.
Nesbitt鈥檚 essay, 鈥淓choes of the Revolution: Diane di Prima and the Beat Generation,鈥� one of a baker鈥檚 dozen in the journal, examines the evolution of di Prima鈥檚 revolutionary focus.
鈥淭o oversimplify, in her early work she thinks of revolution as armed resistance,鈥� he says, 鈥渁nd in her later work revolution becomes an inward, personal act in some respects.鈥�
Nesbitt 鈥� for whom Beat literature is a major focus area 鈥� originally penned the essay last year for a conference examining revolution for the University of Florida.
Works by di Prima 鈥渕ay reflect a struggle with the political and social upheavals that occurred in the 1960’s and 1970’s,鈥� according to The Beat Page, however, her writing often focused on her personal life and relationships.鈥�
di Prima spoke of that demanding duality as a militant, feminist and writer who fully embraced her womanhood in a 2002 interview in Jacket Magazine.
鈥淚 wanted everything 鈥� very earnestly and totally 鈥� I wanted to have every experience I could have, I wanted everything that was possible to a person in a female body, and that meant that I wanted to be mother.鈥� So my feeling was, 鈥榃ell鈥欌�攁s I had many times had the feeling鈥斺�榃ell, nobody鈥檚 done it quite this way before but f鈥� it, that鈥檚 what I鈥檓 doing, I鈥檓 going to risk it.鈥欌��
It鈥檚 that intersection of the outward and inward from which Nesbitt unearths revolutionary conclusions.
鈥淭here are lots of ways to engage in revolutionary acts,鈥� says Nesbitt, chair of the interdisciplinary studies department at 海角社区. 鈥淥verturning the government on a mass scale is one blunt and obvious example. Small acts or even thoughts of random and unknown compassion may be equally or more powerful.聽 However, they can also be harder to notice.鈥�
What isn鈥檛 hard to notice, Nesbitt notes, is the literary influence of di Prima 鈥� who authored more than 40 published books.
鈥淪he helped contribute to not just women鈥檚 literature, but the idea of women鈥檚 literature that聽can be rebellious,鈥� he says. 鈥淎lso, she helped contribute to the validity of literature about women聽and women鈥檚 experiences as opposed to a woman writing about herself only in relationship to men.鈥�
Beatdom 17 is available now on for Kindle or in paperback.