I was in New York for the Ginsberg Festival—held at Tompkins Square Park on the lower East Side. I got there too late for the Ginsberg show but the Low Life Festival, which was part of the program, had come on.

The Park was rife with paintings and posters depicting Ginsberg or images that were evoked in his poetry. The stage was surrounded with original portraits by different artists. The paintings reveal as much about the artist as about their subject.

Allen Ginsberg was a very sexual gay man living in Paradise Alley, a gated building on 12th Street. He was a true denizen of the Village. As you can see from the paintings, his poetry and Buddhist philosophy has had a profound influence on many people.

Here are some scenes from the Low Life Festival. Who could imagine that a show for Ginsberg would be held early afternoon on Sunday: if he were still alive, I doubt he would have made it at that time.