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Kansas Community Networks

City of Winfield, Cowley County, Kansas


Beats in Kansas: A Literary Cosmic Vortex

Seminar, Sun., 2-4 pm.
April 7, 2019

Wichita Public Library, Wichita, Kansas

The heartland has known the Beat writers from cradle to grave -- Michael McClure and Charles Plymell were born in Kansas, and William S. Burroughs spent his last years and died in Lawrence. In between, Allen Ginsberg and Gary Snyder made significant trips to the state. Other Kansas figures include Bruce Connor, Dennis Hopper, James Mechem, Roxie Powell, Jim McCrary, Wayne Propst, Glenn Todd, Alan Russo, John Fowler, Justin Hein, Bob Branaman, Ronald Johnson, and Burroughs' heir James Grauerholz, to name a few. The karmic connection between Beat figures and Kansas influences the literary communities to this day. George Laughead's website Beats In Kansas was launched in 2002. Sponsored by Humanities Kansas.

Kerry Wynn, Washburn University Map of Kansas Literature Project Director, will spend some time introducing the new map of Kansas authors;

Troy James Weaver, Wichita writer, will give a reading, with brief comments about how the Beats influence his work;

Denise Low, former Poet Laureate Kansas, will talk about Beats in Kansas: The Lawrence-Wichita Magnetic Pole

George Laughead, founder Beats in Kansas website, will give Beat Memoir with Artifacts, Beat life from 1963-2019


Kansas Preservation Resources

Kansas Chautauqua


Site maintained by George Laughead , Dodge City Tourism and AAM Small Museums & Technology.. Site established 1993. Thanks to the late Dr. Lynn H. Nelson, author of "HNSource, the first history site on the WWW."
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Return to the Top. Site previously maintained at the University of Kansas. Site maintained in Dodge City, KS. Updated: 15 July 2013.
(© 2002-2013, George Laughead)