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Hey Lew: Homage to Lew Welch
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 18, 2025
This is a fitting and loving tribute and festschrift to Lew Welch, the Beat poet who mysteriously vanished in 1971, never to be seen again.
This book is a collection of anecdotes and stories about Welch, some tributes in the form of interviews, testimonials and poems, as well as some reflections upon the man and his poetry. I like Albert Saijo's creative and imaginative piece on Welch's final hours and days (not true obviously but a fitting homage nonetheless).
I wish there had been more interviews with people close to Welch such as Don Allen, Joanne Kyger and Gary Snyder but still this is worth reading, even if it's just to show how much he was loved as a special human being who radiated an unmistakable aura, respected as a teacher of poetry at university, practicing poet with an interest in ecology, and most importantly, this books shows just how missed he still is as a friend.
While Ewan Clark's recent biography, He, Leo, still remains the best source of information on Welch's life, this serves as a good and fun additional resource. What I especially liked about it was that it was not morose - Welch is gone but certainly not forgotten. You can feel the legacy that he had on other poets and students living on well after his disappearance.
This book is a collection of anecdotes and stories about Welch, some tributes in the form of interviews, testimonials and poems, as well as some reflections upon the man and his poetry. I like Albert Saijo's creative and imaginative piece on Welch's final hours and days (not true obviously but a fitting homage nonetheless).
I wish there had been more interviews with people close to Welch such as Don Allen, Joanne Kyger and Gary Snyder but still this is worth reading, even if it's just to show how much he was loved as a special human being who radiated an unmistakable aura, respected as a teacher of poetry at university, practicing poet with an interest in ecology, and most importantly, this books shows just how missed he still is as a friend.
While Ewan Clark's recent biography, He, Leo, still remains the best source of information on Welch's life, this serves as a good and fun additional resource. What I especially liked about it was that it was not morose - Welch is gone but certainly not forgotten. You can feel the legacy that he had on other poets and students living on well after his disappearance.
July 27, 2023
Interesting range of voices in tribute to and telling the detailed story of Lew Welch, Beat Poet extraordinary.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews