John Curl
Encyclopedia
John Curl is an American
poet
, memoirist, translator, author
, activist, and historian
.
He is author of seven books of poetry, including Scorched Birth (2004), which former San Francisco poet laureate Jack Hirschman
called “a book of wonders.” His best known book is probably his history of the cooperative and communalist movements, For All The People: Uncovering the Hidden History of Cooperation, Cooperative Movements, and Communalism in America (PM Press, 2009), which historian Howard Zinn
described as “inspiring.” Memories of Drop City (2007) is his memoir of the 1960s communal movement and the first “hippie” commune, in Colorado, where he lived between 1966-69, which Ishmael Reed
called “highly crafted and brilliant,” and Al Young
described as “compelling.” His play The Trial of Christopher Columbus was produced by the PEN Oakland Writers Theater in Berkeley (2009).
His poetry books include Columbus in the Bay of Pigs (1991); Decade (1987); and Tidal News (1982); and has published poems in numerous magazines and anthologies, including Words Upon the Waters, Oakland Out Loud, Blake Times, Left Curve, Central Park, Poetry USA, Anthology of East Bay Poets, Poetry Flash
, and Pulse of the People. He was a member of the San Francisco Cloud House circle of poets in the 1980s. In 1975 his series of 22 Wall Poems in spray paint and broadsides were published in Insurrection/Resurrection. He was co-host of Poetry for the People radio show on KPOO San Francisco, 1979-1980. He edited Red Coral, a web zine, between 1999 and 2003. He represented the USA at the World Poetry Festival in Caracas, Venezuela, in 2010. Poet Mary Rudge called him "a Master Poet who uses language in a remarkable, innovative way, he gives us information on contradictions in the evolving state of human consciousness." An anthology of his poetry translated into Spanish by Rei Berroa is scheduled to be published by Editorial el Perro y la Rana (Caracas) in 2011.
His study of American Indian languages, beginning with Navajo at the Tóhajiilee reservation in New Mexico, led to his translations in Ancient American Poets (2005) of three poets of ancient Indigenous America: Flower Songs by Nezahualcoyotl (Nahuatl - Aztec), The Songs of Dzitbalche by Ah Bam (Yucatec Maya), and The Sacred Hymns of the Situa by Pachacuti (Quechua - Inca), along with biographies of the poets. Some of these translations are featured on the web site of FAMSI (Foundation for the Advancement of Meso-American Studies, Inc.), which is scheduled to merge into the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
(LACMA) web site. His transcriptions of Pachacuti poems form the libretto for classical composer Tania Leon
’s Ancient (2009).
, and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Comparative Literature. He has lived in Berkeley, California since 1971 with his wife Jill, a librarian, and has worked as a professional woodworker at Heartwood Cooperative Woodshop since 1974. Involved in the cooperative movement in the Bay Area since the early 1970s, he was a founding member of the InterCollective and an editor of the Collective Directory (1981-85). He is longtime chairman of West Berkeley Artisans and Industrial Companies (WEBAIC), promoting art and industrial zoning, has served as a Berkeley planning commissioner, and is a founding member of the Indigenous Peoples Day Committee, which organizes the annual Berkeley Pow Wow. He is a longtime board member of PEN Oakland and PEN USA.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, memoirist, translator, author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, activist, and historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
.
He is author of seven books of poetry, including Scorched Birth (2004), which former San Francisco poet laureate Jack Hirschman
Jack Hirschman
Jack Hirschman is an American poet and social activist who has written more than 50 volumes of poetry and essays.-Biography:...
called “a book of wonders.” His best known book is probably his history of the cooperative and communalist movements, For All The People: Uncovering the Hidden History of Cooperation, Cooperative Movements, and Communalism in America (PM Press, 2009), which historian Howard Zinn
Howard Zinn
Howard Zinn was an American historian, academic, author, playwright, and social activist. Before and during his tenure as a political science professor at Boston University from 1964-88 he wrote more than 20 books, which included his best-selling and influential A People's History of the United...
described as “inspiring.” Memories of Drop City (2007) is his memoir of the 1960s communal movement and the first “hippie” commune, in Colorado, where he lived between 1966-69, which Ishmael Reed
Ishmael Reed
Ishmael Scott Reed is an American poet, essayist, and novelist. A prominent African-American literary figure, Reed is known for his satirical works challenging American political culture, and highlighting political and cultural oppression.Reed has been described as one of the most controversial...
called “highly crafted and brilliant,” and Al Young
Al Young
Al Young is an American poet, novelist, essayist, screenwriter, and professor. On May 15, 2005 he was named Poet Laureate of California by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. In appointing Young as Poet Laureate, the Governor praised him: "He is an educator and a man with a passion for the Arts...
described as “compelling.” His play The Trial of Christopher Columbus was produced by the PEN Oakland Writers Theater in Berkeley (2009).
His poetry books include Columbus in the Bay of Pigs (1991); Decade (1987); and Tidal News (1982); and has published poems in numerous magazines and anthologies, including Words Upon the Waters, Oakland Out Loud, Blake Times, Left Curve, Central Park, Poetry USA, Anthology of East Bay Poets, Poetry Flash
Poetry Flash
Poetry Flash is a literary magazine and website based in the San Francisco Bay Area; it has been called "an institution in the Bay Area's literary culture". It publishes literary reviews, poetry, interviews, and essays as well as an extensive calendar of literary activities on the west coast of...
, and Pulse of the People. He was a member of the San Francisco Cloud House circle of poets in the 1980s. In 1975 his series of 22 Wall Poems in spray paint and broadsides were published in Insurrection/Resurrection. He was co-host of Poetry for the People radio show on KPOO San Francisco, 1979-1980. He edited Red Coral, a web zine
His study of American Indian languages, beginning with Navajo at the Tóhajiilee reservation in New Mexico, led to his translations in Ancient American Poets (2005) of three poets of ancient Indigenous America: Flower Songs by Nezahualcoyotl (Nahuatl - Aztec), The Songs of Dzitbalche by Ah Bam (Yucatec Maya), and The Sacred Hymns of the Situa by Pachacuti (Quechua - Inca), along with biographies of the poets. Some of these translations are featured on the web site of FAMSI (Foundation for the Advancement of Meso-American Studies, Inc.), which is scheduled to merge into the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art is an art museum in Los Angeles, California. It is located on Wilshire Boulevard along Museum Row in the Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles, adjacent to the George C. Page Museum and La Brea Tar Pits....
(LACMA) web site. His transcriptions of Pachacuti poems form the libretto for classical composer Tania Leon
Tania Leon
Tania León is a Cuban composer and conductor who has been recognized as an educator and advisor to arts organizations.-León's Music:...
’s Ancient (2009).
Biography
Curl was born in New York, New York, and grew up in Manhattan and rural New Jersey. His family was working class, a mixture of Irish-Catholic, English-Protestant, and Romanian-Austrian Jew. He attended CCNY, with a semester at the SorbonneUniversity of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
, and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Comparative Literature. He has lived in Berkeley, California since 1971 with his wife Jill, a librarian, and has worked as a professional woodworker at Heartwood Cooperative Woodshop since 1974. Involved in the cooperative movement in the Bay Area since the early 1970s, he was a founding member of the InterCollective and an editor of the Collective Directory (1981-85). He is longtime chairman of West Berkeley Artisans and Industrial Companies (WEBAIC), promoting art and industrial zoning, has served as a Berkeley planning commissioner, and is a founding member of the Indigenous Peoples Day Committee, which organizes the annual Berkeley Pow Wow. He is a longtime board member of PEN Oakland and PEN USA.