Allen Ginsberg Poetry Readings & Lectures on Audio

Allen Ginsberg's Howl is the ultimate beat poem, and what better way to experience it than listening to Ginsberg read it himself. PennSound features two recordings of Ginsberg reading Howl, one from 1956 (the year he published it) and one from 1995 (a few years before his death).

Studs Terkel talks with poet Allen Ginsberg in this 1976 interview. They talk about what has changed in America since their first chat in 1959.

Allen Ginsberg class on Beat literary history of the 1950's, discussing William S. Burroughs's book Junky and his first meeting with Herman Hunke.

First half of a class with Allen Ginsberg discussing vividness and close observation in writing, particularly the writers who do it, including Walt Whitman, haiku, Jack Kerouac, Reznikoff, Imagists and William Carlos Williams.

Anne Waldman and Allen Ginsberg lecture on dharma poetics…

Witchita Vortex Sutra is Ginsberg's epic poem about the Vietnam War written in 1966....

First half of a class by William S. Burroughs on the technology and the ethics of wishing.

Allen Ginsberg class on steps of revising autobiographical poems.

A lecture by William S. Burroughs on public discourse, with an introduction by Allen Ginsberg.

An Anne Waldman and Allen Ginsberg poetry reading. Waldman reads "Fast Speaking Woman" and other poems. Ginsberg reads "Howl" in its entirety, and other poems.