Music, art, and poetry of annual Howl Festival to bring Beat back to Lower East Side

Fifty-four years ago, Allen Ginsberg, CC ’48, published his poem “Howl,” as an ode to his bohemian friends “who ate the lamb stew of the imagination or digested the crab at the muddy bottom of the rivers of Bowery.” This weekend, the East Village will play host to a three-day festival in honor of Ginsberg and other downtown artists.

The 2010 Howl Festival will take place Sept. 10-12 in Tompkins Square Park, at East 7th Street and Avenue A. The programming will include live music, poetry readings, and performance art. There is no charge for admission to the festival.

The event has been held annually since 2003, when it was launched by a group of East Village artists and businessmen. They were concerned with the changing face of the neighborhood, which was beginning to show signs of gentrification after decades as an inexpensive haven for artists. For the organizers, Allen Ginsberg and “Howl” epitomize the area’s cultural legacy, which over the years also included jazz musicians like Charlie Parker and graffiti artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat.

This year’s festival offers a wide variety of artistic and cultural performances. Some are inspired by Ginsberg himself, such as a group reading of “Howl” and a “Hip Hop Howl!,” described as “a massive live mix tape showcase.” Other musical offerings include a tribute to the cellist Arthur Russell, and a “cabaret-style” Broadway revue by Rosie’s (as in O’Donnell) Broadway Kids. There are also performances which blend Indian and African music with the rock traditions of the East Village. Readings by contemporary poets highlight the ongoing literary scene in New York. Poets Eileen Myles and Emanuel Xavier will perform readings. The Sunday evening climax is “Low Life 4: Beat Girl,” a performance centered on the history of Beat artists on the Lower East Side. The two-hour affair draws on spoken word poetry, drag and burlesque theater traditions, and Japanese Butoh dance.

According to the Howl mission statement, one goal of the festival is to let young people “experience first hand the high value of a creative life.” Columbia students looking to explore the literary traditions of their city, as well as the continuing legacy of one of their school’s most famous alumni, will find the festival a creative way to spend this first weekend of the semester.

A full schedule of events is available at the event’s website, howlfestival.com">www.howlfestival.com.