February 7 / 6:30 pm / Free

A Reading and Interview with E. Claman

There is no other book like this one, though there are dozens of books about Ginsberg. Bob Rosenthal has made a courageous and valuable contribution to the field of Beat studies. — Jonah Raskin, New York Journal of Books

Howl! Happening is pleased to celebrate the publication of Bob Rosenthal’s new book, Straight Around Allen, published by Beatdom Books (2018) with a reading and booksigning with the author. The evening is part of the Prose Pros series hosted by Elinor Nauen.

Rich in anecdotes, The Allen Ginsberg Project has called this intimate memoir “essential reading” and goes on to say: “Rosenthal was Allen’s secretary and trusted friend and confidant for over twenty years and his ‘right-hand man’. A calm presence in a far-from-calm vortex (Allen seemed to thrive on chaos, as Bob astutely observes). No one was closer to the day-to-day, no one more patient and comprehending.”

As Beat scholar, Ann Charters, remarks “Written straight from the heart, Bob’s book will survive as an invaluable companion to Allen Ginsberg’s poetry.”

Rosenthal’s other books include the cult classic Cleaning Up New York (Little Book Room), and 5 books of poems including Viburnam, Rude Awakenings, and Morning Poems. He’s written the plays Cause of Gravity, Whore of the Alpines, Bicentennial Suicide, and Clear the Range with Bob Holman and makes the chili every New Year’s Day for the Poetry Project Marathon.

Image: Rosenthal and Ginsberg by Brian Graham