"Altho it is difficult to grasp by many or few or none, I am not really a foreigner -- nor do I relish any indirect assaults upon where exactly my nativity is" (Samperi to Corman)
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Though a stranger to the place I felt far from it. But I could hardly believe I was there: to those of us schooled in Canada's version of the terrific California poetry scene Venice Beach seemed hallowed ground (as indeed it still is). American poetry and the always revolutionary conditions of its growth and development always came accompanied--to this very impressionable 70s student of literature--with distinctive names, faces and personalities And I saw a few of them proudly displayed along the upper walls in the 'Beyond Baroque' bookstore: diPrima, Acker, Duncan, Olson and Venice Beach's local poetry legend, John Thomas Idlet. The 'Gas House' and Ellison Hotel were, in the words of local poet and musician Betto, where the poets came for the 'vibes'.
I am not really a foreigner here, either. There is a wonderful 'vibe' indeed that the people wear and that I felt, too: it's in their words, a matter of tone and the artist's always pure heart. 'Beyond Baroque' was more than a place (entirely community-supported) of art exhibits, workshops and readings: it was, as Frank Samperi, would say a place where "[t]he angel prepares and disposes" and I felt Frank's angel there, too. 'Vibes', the angel or the softness in a poet's verses--they all collectively were Venice Beach and 'Beyond Baroque', the place's gift to this grateful visitor.
But, above all, it was Frank and Frank's daughter Claudia, host of the poetry reading, and the wonderful group of poets who'd assembled to read from Samperi's 'Trilogy' that I came here for. And I saw Frank and his poetry in the person of Claudia who'd made possible this wonderful homage to a life and work: in the gentle elegant daughter who'd brought us all together to celebrate the Skysill publication of the combined Trilogy works: The Prefiguration, Quadrifariam and Lumen Gloriae.
It was my unique privilege to read from the Morning and Evening in The Prefiguration and afterwards offer my own reflections on the very interesting art and poetry collaboration between Samperi and Petersen that resulted in the Morning & Evening folio published in Caterpillar 3/4 (1967), of which Claudia had displayed at 'Beyond Baroque' the original stoneprinted version (along with an original "A"-12 typescript Zukofsky had given Samperi).
The entire 2013 Frank Samperi reading may be seen here at PennSound.