The Week We Were Wayfarers, All

We’re not the first ones to draw inspiration from the Beats (who made their marks on New York, San Francisco, and Bakersfield, among other places), or from our souls, and pound the pavement for some summer sight-seeing. But, like anyone, we have our unique perspectives. If you’re hitting any of these destinations in the near future, we offer travel tips.

San Francisco. Fresh from a large-scale celebration of Lew Welch and City Lights, that Bay Area plays host to another big poetry party for the next few days.

New York. The city and the state also have a big verse-fest this weekend. If you meet someone you’d like to see again but spaced on getting the Twitter handle, you can always place a poetic Craigslist ad.

Boston. The Dog Day Poetry Marathon is forthcoming. If you see Janaka Stucky from Black Ocean, don’t forget to tell him we said hey.

London. London's recent rain of poems has abated; in case you missed it, we have extensive documentation. Still want to go? It’s not too late to hear Mayor Johnson big-up the ancient Greeks.

The Past. The last two-and-a-half decades were complex time, and Austin Allen’s nominations for the best poetry they produced are sure to be controversial for the next two-and-a-half. Which one makes you the angriest?

The Future. Maybe it’s time to move on—the future is, after all, where the action is. Leigh Stein is already talking about it, and The New York Times is talking about her. (It must be difficult to fact-check a book called Dispatches From the Future.)

The Streets. One skilled scribe of the sidewalk has a lot to say about the MTA.

Have an adventurous weekend. And don’t forget to thrive on rejection.