Larry Closs's Blog, page 4

Happy Birthday, Allen Ginsberg!

On Sunday, June 3, Allen Ginsberg would have been 86. As anyone who’s read Beatitude knows, I’m a huge fan. Though Ginsbergpassed away in 1997, I was fortunate enough to meet him on several occasions. I saw him read at MoMA and I also interviewed him.

Those experiences inspired my take on him in Beatitude, in which he plays a pivotal role. He is, in some sense, the hero of the book, or at least the one who sparks the ultimate insight about friendship and love.Beatitude features two previously...

Spontaneous Book-Signing at The Strand

I was thrilled to discover a stack of 10 copies of Beatitude in The Strand, New York’s landmark independent bookstore (“18 miles of books”) and, had I been alone, I would have left the store happy just knowing that. But I wasn’t alone. I was with my best friend John, who suggested I offer to sign the books.

Being a deferential author, I resisted, but, being a best friend with my best interests at heart, he persisted. Finally, I relented and somewhat self-consciously explained the situation to...

Best LGBT Novel of 2011: Beatitude

On June 4, Beatitude will officially receive the 2012 Gold IPPY for Best LGBT Fiction of 2011 in the Independent Publisher Book Awards ceremony in New York City. In advance of the date, here’s the official press release. Photos from the ceremony to come!

A Postcard from Ferlinghetti

One of the best surprises I’ve ever discovered in my mailbox: A postcard from Lawrence Ferlinghetti! I had sent a copy of Beatitude to the poet and co-founder of San Francisco’s City Lights Bookstore because I thought he might be interested in the subject matter of the novel as well as the two previously unpublished poems by Allen Ginsberg. Turns out he was—enough to take the time to send me a postcard!

In 1956, Ferlinghetti published Ginsberg’s Howl and Other Poems as Number Four in the City...

Bringing Home the Gold

Now this is bliss! My debut novel, Beatitude, has won the 2012 Gold IPPY Award—the Independent Publisher Book Award—for Best GLBT Fiction.

The 16th annual IPPY Awards drew nominations from more than 2,000 independent authors and publishers vying for gold, silver and bronze medals in 72 categories. Created in 1996 to honor the year’s best independently published titles, the Independent Publisher Book Awards “reward those who exhibit the courage, innovation, and creativity to bring about change...

Beatitude Book Trailer in Publishers Weekly

Publishers Weekly is showcasing the book trailer I produced for Beatitude. The black-and-white, one-minute trailer features appearances by Johnny Depp and Allen Ginsberg, both of whom figure in the novel. You can watch the trailer on Publishers Weekly here or on my author site here.

Beatitude Book Club Reading Guide

The Beatitude Book Club Reading Guide is now available, with 22 questions guaranteed to stimulate inspired conversation about life, love and the Beats. If your book club is in the New York metro area, the author himself might join you. All you have to do is ask. Hit me up via the Contact page.

When Death Stalked the Beats

Jack Kerouac, Lucien Carr and Allen Ginsberg, 1959

A New York Times article by true crime author and journalist David J. Krajicek recounts the "violent death" that caught Beat Generation writers Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and William S. Burroughs in its gravitational pull 10 years prior to their debut on the literary scene.

 

In 1944, 19-year-old Lucien Carr, who had introduced Kerouac, Ginsberg and Burroughs, stabbed David Kammerer, 33, to death in Riverside Park in response, Carr claimed, ...

We Only Got 4 Minutes to Save the World!

 

On Saturday, March 24, I'll be sharing a table and reading from my novel Beatitude at the Rainbow Book Fair, 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the LGBT Community Center 208 West 13th Street, New York. If you go, be sure to stop by table B24 and say hello. I'll be happy to inscribe a copy of Beatitude. I'm also one of 40 authors scheduled to read. I'm in the 2-2:30 p.m. block. We each get four minutes so don't blink! Hope to see you there!

The Dharma Initiative

March 12, 2012: Jack Kerouac's 90th birthday and, appropriately enough, the date of my first reading from Beatitude, at Barnes & Noble, 82nd and Broadway, NYC. A huge thanks to everyone who came out! It was great to see so many friendly faces in the crowd! I had a blast and I'm already looking forward to the next one. Much love to all!

 

Here are a few images from the event, courtesy of friend and photographer Michael Graziano. Thanks, Mike!