First Thought Best Thought

Version: Unabridged
Author: William S. Burroughs , Diane Di Prima , Allen Ginsberg
Narrator: Unknown
Genres: Self-help, Education
Publisher: Sounds True
Published In: August 2004
# of Units: 4 CDs
Length: 5 hours
Ratings:
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Overview

Allen Ginsberg, Anne Waldman, William Burroughs, and Diane Di Prima – is there an aspiring poet or prose writer today who would miss a chance to meet and learn with these literary mentors face-to-face, sharing the secrets of their craft? That irresistible opportunity is now available with First Thought, Best Thought, the first landmark release from Naropa University's treasured audio archives.
Selected and edited by poet Randy Roark from thousands of hours of performances and teaching sessions, First Thought, Best Thought offers listeners four rare gems of inspiration and practical wisdom, including: · Allen Ginsberg on how we "discharge the spontaneous energy of genuine experience" onto the page · Anne Waldman on living your poetic practice by melting the boundaries between poetry on the page, performance, and every act of expression you choose to commit · William Burroughs on breakthrough methods for generating fresh writing – including "the cut-up method," chance operations, and dream work · Diane Di Prima on how to survive as an artist: preserving your sensibility; creating a supportive artistic community; approaches to getting published, self-publishing, and more

"First thought, best thought" was the phrase that Allen Ginsberg used to describe the kind of spontaneous, fearless writing taught here – a way of telling the truth that arises from naked and authentic experience. In these thought-provoking sessions, anyone with a passion for words is sure to discover a wealth of insights for expressing themselves with greater immediacy and creativity.

Author Details

Author Details

Burroughs, William S.

William S. Burroughs was born in St. Louis in 1914. He is best-known work is 1959's "Naked Lunch"--which became the focus of a landmark 1962 Supreme Court decision that helped eliminate literary censorship in the United States. Described by Norman Mailer as one of America's few writers genuinely "possessed by genius," he died in 1997. His many other works include "Junky" and "The Place of Dead Roads" (Picador).

Di Prima, Diane

Diane is a poet, essayist and writer.

Ginsberg, Allen

Allen Ginsberg (1926-1997) was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters, was awarded the medal of Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French minister of culture, won the National Book Award for "The Fall of America", and was a cofounder of the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics at the Naropa Institute, the first accredited Buddhist college in the Western world.