MAP Store Collection

The Museum of American Poetics (MAP) Store features a small but eclectic array of poetry related items we've gathered since we came online in 1998. Sorry, you won't find letters Whitman wrote for wounded Civil War soldiers to their families. You won't find Shakespeare's watch or Emily Dickinson's smart phone . But with every purchase you will be supporting MAP's continued operation into the future. As always, we offer free shipping 365 days a year.

"Howl" Prayer Flag: Allen Ginsberg

prayer flagsMade in Nepal using a blend of cotton and silk (for greater durability in the elements), these 5-color traditional prayer flags are emblazoned with Allen Ginsberg's "Howl," the poem that shook twentieth century America (final, not original version). Hang them from your porch, office, across rivers, over mountains, even a tiny bedroom window. Hey, send us a picture after you do so. We'd love to see. Designed by MAP Publications and approved by the Allen Ginsberg Trust, this set of flag-panels includes a "doodle" by Allen as an extra added bonus. Limited edition.

Product information (approximate): total length of flag set: 12'9"; order of individual flag colors (traditional): blue, white, red, green, yellow; number of individual flags in set: 15; individual flag size: 10"(h) x 9"(w). $60.00

Allen Ginsberg: "Lay Down Yr Mountain" : The Last Session

last sessionLong unavailable, and now remixed and remastered, Allen Ginsberg: "Lay Down Yr Mountain": The Last Session became available on 12/23/2010. This 8'31" disc is comprised of two versions of Allen Ginsberg, on voice and harmonium, performing "Lay Down Yr Mountain," a piece composed on the road while with Bob Dylan and the Rolling Thunder Revue in October, 1975. The recording took place in Boulder, CO, at Fergus Sound Enterpirses, on June 26, 1996. Allen had just received rough mixes from Paul McCartney for "The Ballad of the Skeletons." The disc is comprised as follows: track 1: "Lay Down Yr Mountain" (3:13, first take); track 2: "Notes on Improvisation (0:32); track 3 "Lay Down Yr Mountain" - (4:11, alternate take); and track 4 Lyric Explication (0:15). As far as the MAP Store knows, and we have made every attempt to find out, this is Mr. Ginsberg's final recording. $25.00

Anne Waldman: Makeup on Empty Space (Jim Cohn, 2003)

anne waldman Anne Waldman: Makeup on Empty Space profiles the life and times of poet Anne Waldman. Shot during an Anne Waldman Symposium held at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, March 13-15, 2002, this 55 minute videograph documents the opening of the AW archive at the UM Special Collections Library, and features poetry luminati speaking on Waldman's megacontribution to American letters.

The film, formatted for DVD-R is low-fi, and comes without scene selection capability or DVD package wrapping, highlights performances by Anne Waldman, and includes critical excerpts from talks by Joanne Kyger, Lorenzo Thomas, Anselm Hollo, Akilah Oliver, Ron Padgett, Rachel Blau DuPlessis, David Cope, Eleni Sikelianos, and Steven Taylor. The film also contains an excerpt from "Secret of the Waterfall," a dance and poetry collaboration with choreographer Douglas Dunn, and a brief clip from Bob Dylan's Renaldo and Clara with Waldman reading "Fast Speaking Woman."

There are also shots of the exhibit that the UM Special Collection curators assembled that are soundtracked with recordings by Anne Waldman. The film is fast passed, and perhaps the only one of its kind profiling Anne Waldman's life and work. It was premiered at the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art in June of 2003. $35.00