7 October, 1955 - Cas Young

There's a whole shelf in the library dedicated to "Banned Books." Which I find pretty ironic, considering the first amendment to the Constitution allows freedom of speech and freedom of press. I wonder sometimes how those books came to be banned in some way or another. Usually, it's because its bad for the kids, and for some reason, some people feel like it's their job to decide what's fit and unfit for the kids these days to be reading, and I think that's kind of bullshit. But on 7 October, 1955, Alan Ginsberg read aloud his poem "Howl" for the first time at a reading in San Francisco.

If you've ever experienced "Howl," you'll know that it has no shame, it's full frontal and 100% real, but beneath all the provocative imagery, it's a commentary on conformity and contemporary culture. (Alliteration not intended, but I'm proud of that.)

"Howl" was actually tried in an obscenity trial, it was a huge deal, but Ginsberg triumphed against censorship, and everyone cheered. Besides the ripples it caused among adults trying to preserve the virgin eyes and minds of their children and adolescents, it caused an anti-culture movement in America, the Beat Generation, with prose author Jack Kerouac and Ginsberg at the forefront. It was a movement mainly within poetry, a shift to more rugged and raw prose with less romanticism and more cacophony. But the other side of it was the beatniks, the "outcasts of society", jazz, and being different among the "squares."

"Howl" is undoubtedly one of the most important pieces of contemporary poetry, it fought conformity, it was a huge step forward in the LGBT and minority community. I don't think the LGBT movement would be as strong and sizeable if not for the Beat Movement, and it all ties back to Mr. Ginsberg. So thanks for being frustrated and sharing your world with us, Alan, you've changed the course of history.