[APPLAUSE]
On behalf of the Ruth Stephan Poetry Center,
I want to welcome you to our first reading of the year.
Can you hear?
No.
I want to welcome you to the first reading of the year
and announce the readings which are to come.
On December 6, Denise Levertov will
read in the Physics, Mathematics,
Meteorology Auditorium.
On January 10, David Wagoner will read in the Modern
Languages Auditorium.
On February 7, Thomas Kinsella will read in the Modern
Languages Auditorium.
On March 20, Galway Kinnell will read in the Modern Languages
Auditorium.
All of these readings will be at 8:30.
They're all open to the public.
Mr. Lawrence Ferlinghetti, who will read for us tonight
is a poet, playwright, novelist, translator, and publisher.
His books of poetry include Pictures
of the Gone World published in 1955,
a Coney Island of the Mind published in 1958,
Starting from San Francisco published in 1961,
After the Cries of the Birds just published,
and a very recent broadside Moscow in the Wilderness
Segovia in the Snow.
Mr. Ferlinghetti's novel, Her was published in 1960.
He has written two collections of plays,
routines published in 1963, and unfair arguments
with existence.
Mr Ferlinghetti is the author of film scripts,
including Have You Sold Your Dozen Roses?
And he is the translator of Jacques Prévert's Paroles.
His second book of poetry--
A Coney Island of the Mind-- has sold well over 300,000 copies
and appears to be the most read volume of poetry
to be issued in our times.
He has received a great many other distinctions, awards
which I will not go into.
One local honor I might mention, we
have found at the Poetry Center that his books are most often
and most consistently stolen, which
indicates I think something of his popularity.
[LAUGHTER]
It gives me a great deal of pleasure
and it is a distinct honor to present to you, Mr Lawrence
Ferlinghetti.
[APPLAUSE]