Out in the Mountains Beat Poet Allen Ginsberg to Speak by Hugh Coyle When I last saw Allen Ginsberg, he was sitting on a stool in the window stage of Passim's Coffeehouse in Boston with a squeezebox in his hands and wild poetry still dashing madly through his brain. Other members of the Beat generation joined him throughout the evening to offer lyrical vi- sions of that bygone era, proving that to remember is both to revitalize and to pre- vent time from making a relic of oneself. Vermonters will have the chance to witness Allen Ginsberg for themselves when he appears at the West Village Meet- inghouse in West Brattleboro on Saturday evening, December 8, at 7:00 and 9:00. Ginsberg is probably best known for his now classic poem "Howl," the publica- tion of which led to the arrest of fellow Beat poetlawrence Ferlinghetti. Ferlighetti was charged with printing obscene material and was later acquitted following a highly controversial trial. Ginsberg's highly personalized and volatile imagery set the standard for many of the writers of his generation. His con- tinuing fascination with Eastern philoso- phy and meditation lends a mystical ele- ment to the harsh realities often set forth in his poetry. While sotne may find the stark honesty of his visions disturbing, others have commended him for the open intimi- G/L Alums Return to Middlebury On November 4 five gay and lesbian graduates retumed to Middlebury College to participate in a panel presentation en- titled "Coming Back: Gay and Lesbian Alumni Return." The event was sponsored by numerous campus organizations, in- cluding the Alumni Office, the Center for Counseling and Human Relations, and the Middlebury Gay/Lesbian/Straight Alli- ance. A committee partially composed of gay and lesbian faculty and staff members did most of the organizational work. The positive tone of the afternoon was set by Gary Margolis, Director of the Cen- ter of Counseling and Human Relations, who welcomed the panelists back as part of the Middlebury family. The two women and three men spanned the classes of 1973- 1985. None of the panelists was out publicly when he or she was a student at the College. In individual presentations, they spoke movingly about the isolation they experi- enced as students, and about the satisfac- tion and fulfillment they've found in their lives since. The panelists then answered questions from a friendly audience of about sixty faculty, staff, and students. The questions covered a broad range of topics including AIDS, advice for students in the process of coming out, job discrimination (none of the panelists had experienced it), political ac- tivism, and relationships. This was the first time that Middle- bury, whose anti-discrimination clause does not include sexual orientation, has officially acknowledged its gay and lesbian alumni. Panelists and audience members expressed the hope that the panel would spur the formation of a gay/lesbian alumni network to serve as a resource for gay and lesbian students and other alumni of Mid- dlebury College. Member National Lesbian and Gay Law Association ROBERT W. ZEUNER PROPERTY MANAGEMENT MAINTENANCE CARPENTRY HOME SECURITY ATTORNEY AT LAW INTERIOR PAINTING MINOR HOUSEHOLD REPAIRS \X/ALL COVERING Bauer, Gravel and Watson YARD MAINTENANCE 362 Main Street Burlington, VT 05401 ROY JOSEPH BAKER REASONABLE RATES 363-5538 AC802 863-3838 \x/E WELCOME SMALL JOBS 18 cacy of his expression, recognizing the battles he has waged to maintain that free- dom. Ginsberg, billed as a "world-renowned poet, literary scholar, political activist, arts advocate, co-founder of the so-called Beat Movement, Big Daddy of Boho Chic, and Famous Guy from the Sixties," is being brought to Vermont by Queen's Runs Concerts. Proceeds from the performance will benefit the Committee on Poetry, Inc. Tickets are $16.00 in advance ($18.00 at the door) and available at Everyone‘s Books in Brattleboro, Toadstool Books in Keene and Peterborough NH, Beyond Words in Northampton MA, Folk in Ha- noverNH, or by calling the QRC Box office at (802) 254-5238. Student, youth, senior, and group discount rates are also available by calling (802) 257-7770.