February 4, 2009

The Beat Museum

The Beats were more than just beatniks. Nor were they beaten down. Some of the best minds of that generation were destroyed by the pressure to be the same as everyone else, less than what they wanted to be. A shadow of who they knew they could be. The movement’s leaders made the best of their circumstances and when the tale was told, something new, a different way of being, acting, and living emerged.

Those leaders were writers and those words still inspire. The Beat Museum in North Beach San Francisco chronicles these angel-headed hipsters: Ginsberg, Kerouac, Burroughs, Cassady, Corso, and DiPrima, and how they went about taking risks, because for them there was no other choice. The museum shop offers a comprehensive library of beat books and other memorabilia. Visit them in person or online at www.thebeatmuseum.org.—Michelle