Swinging to the Beat Poetry of Diane di Prima

In our latest episode, we swing through the New York years with beat poet Diane di Prima. Her life has spanned multiple biographies, and this one focuses on her childhood, college and early adulthood in New York. She was a poet, and from an early age, she knowed it.

The book is called Recollections of My Life as a Woman: The New York Years and tackles such themes as beauty, femininity, psychic power, family bonds, abuse, and love. Along the way, she met figures like Ezra Pound, Audre Lorde, Jack Kerouac, painter Raphael Soyer, Allen Ginsberg and more. At least, those are just some of the names that got dropped in this podcast. She was part of a movement, and though it's hard to realize you're in a movement until it's over, she was fully aware.

Her writing is engaging, and her mind is admirable. We hope you enjoy this episode.