In April I will take you through the alphabet to connect with lesser known (and aqually admirable) women writers & poets & word artists.
Diane Di Prima
1934 -
Poet, Playwright, Activist, Among the most influential women of the Beat Generation.
She continues her work today.
How is it possible to contain the passion I feel for these women in 300 words or less?
How is it possible to combine the passion and the information in a way that ignites your fire and entice you to dig deeper, to read more, to become even a fraction of the love I have….oh, how I long for you to become just slightly enamored.
She said in one of her best known, most read poems “the war that matters is the war against the imagination”
‘I think the poet is the last person who is still speaking the truth when no one else dares to. I think the poet is the first person to begin the shaping and visioning of the new forms and the new consciousness when no one else has begun to sense it; I think these are two of the most essential human functions’ -Diane Di Prima
I recently fell in love with the Women of the Beat Generation. I was curious, after hearing so much about Jack Kerouac, Allan Ginsberg, Charles Bukowski and the rest, I wondered, “Where is the news about the women who were with them? It couldn’t have been completely a Men’s Word-Love Club!”
I discovered while the still best known Beat Poets are men, there are a number of women who not only wrote and lived that era, but women who are still actively creating today.
Diane Di Prima is one of those women. She has been dubbed “Poet Priestess” and “Poet Activist” and “Beat Babe” but those feel condescending to me. After all, her creativity has been present for her entire lifetime. She founded New York Poets Theatre & the Poets Press, she has written plays and poetry and is now the Poet Laureate of San Francisco.
There is a new documentary film about her life. I couldn't get it to load from YouTube. Here is a link to the documentary film of her life. You may watch the trailer and find out more information at the address below:
A Preview of the Diane Di Prima Documentary:
Diane Reading from her Revolutionary Letters, years ago.
She is performing at Diva Fest in San Francisco on May 12. I’ve marked my calendar. I will be there.
Julie Jordan Scott has been a Life & Creativity Coach, Writer, Facilitator and Teleclass Leader since 1999. She is also an award winning Actor, Director, Artist and Mother Extraordinaire. She was twice the StoryTelling Slam champion in Bakersfield. She teaches a teleclass/ecourse "Discover the Power of Writing & Telling Engaging, Enlightening Stories" which begins again April 19, 2012. Find details by clicking this link.
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