BOOK SONG, after Allen Ginsberg, “Amiri Baraka and others, Small Press Book Fair, December 2, 1990”

Allen Ginsberg

One of six unique works in “A PICTURE OF MY MIND: Poems Written by Allen Ginsberg’s Photographs,” theVERSEverse’s inaugural collection of ekphrastic poetry using natural language processing technology and text-to-image/image-to-text techniques to respond to the iconic words and images of the legendary Beat poet. Presented at UNIT London’s online exhibition from 15 November — 12 December, 2023.

Developed in conjunction with The Fahey/Klein Gallery on the occasion of the exhibition “Muses & Self: Photographs by Allen Ginsberg,” in partnership with the Allen Ginsberg Estate, theVERSEverse member Ross Goodwin, UNIT London, and the support of the Tezos Foundation.

Available to collect via UNIT London.



BOOK SONG

No mere market of pages
but gathering of minds and melodies,
a collective howl of literary souls. 
Listen! There is music 
in the sacred ritual of ink and ideas.
Listen! There is Newark rhythm 
in the annual cacophony of words and paper,
reverberations of the hearts of fellow poets,
and the electricity of a thousand thoughts
finding their way home.

– theVERSEverse after Allen Ginsberg, “Amiri Baraka and others, Small Press Book Fair, December 2, 1990”