Giving Up Poetry: With Allen Ginsberg at Hollyhock

In May 1985, author Trevor Carolan was offered the chance to attend a workshop with Allen Ginsberg at Hollyhock Farm on Cortes Island, British Columbia. For Carolan, a journalist, aspiring poet, and fan of Ginsberg’s poetics, the opportunity couldn’t be turned down. Giving Up Poetry recounts Carolan’s transformation under Ginsberg’s influence, and reveals an intimate portrait of Ginsberg as an icon and inspiring leader, as well as a man of appetites, disappointments, wisdom and lusts.