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The Beat Museum remains temporarily closed for seismic retrofitting.
Construction work continues, but rest assured, we’ll be back. We anticipate reopening sometime in 2027.
In the meantime, visit us at the Counterculture Museum, on the corner of Haight & Ashbury. Open Wed–Sun, 11am–6pm.
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Read more...David Amram & Jerry Cimino Live
At Beatnik Shindig 2015, musician, composer, author, and raconteur David Amram performed with Jerry Cimino, reading from Ferlinghetti, Kerouac, and Ginsberg, sharing stories, perspectives, insights, and some sage wisdom for the ages.
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Read more...Human Be-In Mini Documentary
Directed by Jesse Block On January 14, 1967, a massive “Gathering of the Tribes” was convened in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park for a Human Be-In (named in the same mode as the sit-ins and teach-ins of the civil rights and anti-war movements preceding it). The event served multiple purposes, one being to bring together […]
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Read more...From Beetles to Beatles: It was 60 years ago today
How Beat and a British poet changed the history of rock music by Simon Warner Liverpool, at the start of a brand-new decade. There is a beat in the air, there are beat groups, too; soon there will be a sound christened Merseybeat and not long after a weekly newspaper called Mersey Beat to record […]
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Read more...David Meltzer at Beatnik Shindig 2015
At our Beatnik Shindig in 2015, David Meltzer gave a performance encapsulating 67 years as a poet.
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Read more...An Interview with Dr. Philip Hicks
Psychiatrist to Allen Ginsberg In 1955, Allen Ginsberg began attending weekly therapy sessions at the Langley Porter Clinic in San Francisco. His therapist was a young psychiatrist named Dr. Philip Hicks. It was in these sessions that Allen related to Hicks his dissatisfaction with his job in advertising, and his desire to write poetry instead; […]
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Read more...BIG MIX: Michael McClure / Ray Manzarek / Rob Wasserman / George Brooks / Jay Lane
Live at Yoshi’s June 6, 2008Directed by Jesse Block
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Read more...Hidden in Plain Sight
The magnificent Beat collection of artist Richard Prince.
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Read more...Two Poems: North Beach Dark & Light
North Beach – Dark This magnificent citystands as beautiful as everskies as clear as freshly wiped glassstreets empty like desert highwaysThere is uncertainty in the airfear on people’s facescaution concernWalking Grant Ave I see people I’ve known for yearsrecognizing their eyes above maskswe talk ten feet apartWe check in with each othernervous laughterlooks of resignationDogs […]
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Read more...The North Beach of the Beat Generation is in Grave Danger
When Beat Generation fans visit San Francisco there are five places everyone wants to go to: City Lights Bookstore, Vesuvio Cafe, Caffe Trieste, Specs, and The Beat Museum. All five of us have now been closed for a month. All of our businesses are on the line. There is a strong possibility one or more […]
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Read more...Ford v Ferrari: “…he’s a beatnik.”
The first time we met Josh Lucas was when he was playing Neal Cassady in Michael Polish’s 2013 movie Big Sur – the movie based on Jack Kerouac’s novel. Last night I had the pleasure of watching Ford v Ferrari which was nominated for best picture at the 2019 Academy Awards. It’s the ultimate corporation […]
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Read more...Making it Through 2021
Despite our doors being closed since March 13th, the Beat Museum was able to survive 2020 thanks to the continuing support of Beat readers around the world. Your generosity is crucial in allowing us to continue preserving the history and materials from this pivotal movement, and provide a place to experience these stories.