RIP Joanne Kyger (1934-2017)

This morning we were deeply saddened by the news of the death of Joanne Kyger, a poet whose writing, teaching, and presence in the world helped give shape to the writing of generations of poets. SF Gate reports:

Joanne Kyger, a leading poet of the San Francisco Renaissance and a rare female voice of the male-dominated Beat generation, has died.

Ms. Kyger, who lived in Bolinas, died Wednesday, Bay Area poet and collaborator Michael Rothenberg wrote on Facebook. She was 82. No cause of death was given.

“Joanne Kyger was a trailblazer, fearless and full of insight,” said City Lights publisher Elaine Katzenberger. “Her poetry has influenced generations of younger poets, and there are many in the Bay Area and beyond who will be missing her fierce humor and generous mentorship.”

Ms. Kyger wrote more than 20 collections of poetry, beginning with “The Tapestry and the Web” (1965). “On Time: Poems 2005-2014,” published by City Lights Publishers, showcased themes informed by her longtime practice of Zen Buddhism and her concern for the environment. Her prose collections included “Strange Big Moon: Japan and India Journals 1960-1964” (1981).

Ms. Kyger had been working on a new book, “There You Are: Interviews, Journals, and Ephemera” — the first in a new interview series by Wave Books — that will be published in September.

Kyger was a friend to Harriet, as a blogger in 2012 and as a reader for the Harriet Reading Series. Her contributions to the blog reflected the generosity of her friendship, with posts about poets and communities close to her: Lew Welch and City Lights, Richard Brautigan, Charles Olson and the New American Poets, and John Wieners and Michael Rumaker. She remained connected and present to poets of her generation and as a mentor and friend to legions of younger poets. Please read a poem and remember her today.