City Lights Booksellers, in coordination with Three Rooms Press, presents an evening of reading and storytelling around Beat culture, plus a celebration of the 104th legendary Beat icon William S. Burroughs and the release of DON’T HIDE THE MADNESS: William S. Burroughs in Conversation with Allen Ginsberg. The event will be held at City Lights Bookstore, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco on Tuesday, February 5 at 7 pm. 

The event will be introduced by Peter Hale, executor of the Allen Ginsberg Estate, and will include readings from the book and storytelling by Steven Taylor, editor of DON’T HIDE THE MADNESS; Eric Drooker, animator of HOWL (2010) and award-winning graphic novelist; and V. Vale, founder of RE/Search Publications. Three Rooms Press co-director Peter Carlaftes will host.

Copies of DON’T HIDE THE MADNESS will be available for purchase and signing at the event. The event is free and open to the public. 

ABOUT THE BOOK

In DON’T HIDE THE MADNESS, the fathers of the Beat movement converse about deeply intimate and personal history while gathered at Burroughs’ house in Lawrence, Kansas. The conversation includes discussion of:

• David Cronenberg’s film adaptation of Burroughs’ classic novel Naked Lunch 
• Shamanism, including a detailed description of the shamanic exorcism of the demon Burroughs believes forced him to kill his common-law wife in 1951
• Literary associates, influences, techniques, and insights
• Punk rock’s contributions to counterculture lore

The book includes an original cover by noted illustrator Robert Crumb, plus 17 rare photos by Allen Ginsberg.

ABOUT THE PARTICIPANTS

Steven Taylor is a poet, musician, songwriter, and author of the musical ethnography, False Prophet: Field Notes from the Punk Underground. From 1976-1996 he collaborated on music and poetry works with Allen Ginsberg. He is on the faculty at the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics at Naropa University. 

Peter Hale is the executor of the Allen Ginsberg archives and was a longtime confidant of Ginsberg.

Eric Drooker is an American painter, graphic novelist, and frequent cover artist for The New Yorker. He conceived and designed the animation for the film Howl.

V. Vale is found of RE:Search Publications and produced the 2010 film William S. Burroughs: A Man Within.

Peter Carlaftes is Co-Director and founder of Three Rooms Press, and author of Teatrophy: Three More Plays