CAFE BABAR REVISITED: Interviews with Donald Grose, Bruce Issacson, Bucky Sinister, Richard Loranger, and Tom Stolmar

 

CAFE BABAR REVISITED

by Alexander Laurence

CAFE BABAR started around 1986. The first period was 1986-1990. The first four books were by Julia Vinograd, David Lerner, Bana Witt, and Bruce Issacson. Joie Cook, Laura Conway, Danielle Willis, Eli Coppola and Kathleen Wood were part of the early scene. Older poets like QR Hand, Jack Micheline, Andy Clausen, Jack Hirschman, and even Gregory Corso were also involved. Donald Grose was one of the first to publish Cafe Babar poets like Willis and Issacson. Grose had moved to San Francisco in 1979 to attend SF Art Institute. Grose was Proto-Babar, and was an early publisher and champion of the scene before Zeitgeist Press. He moved to New York City in 1990, and continued to be involved in theater, art and music.

Link to Donald Grose intreview: https://www.mixcloud.com/infinitealexander/book-talk-1-donald-grose-speaks-about-cafe-babar-sf/

HYDRAULIC PRESS catalogue 1986

Donald Grose summer 1990

Julius Caesar play 1990

KATHLEEN WOOD

Cafe Babar Poets mini-tour of Los Angeles 1988

Cafe Babar History: https://www.zeitgeist-press.com/index.php/about-us/

 

    

Zeitgeist Press soon became the in house press of Cafe Babar. Bruce Issacson would publish over a hundred poetry books. The scene developed over that early period of 1986 to 1990. Bruce Issacson would spend two years in New York City and study with Allen Ginsberg. A second wave of Cafe Babar poets came in at this time from 1990 to its closing in 1994. Some of these poets were Dominique Lowell, Alan Kaufman. I spoke to some of these poets who were part of the second wave like Bucky Sinister, Richard Loranger and Tom Stolmar. Readings expanded to other parts of the city. There were vibrant weekly readings at The Chameleon, Paradise Lounge, Blue Monkey Cafe, Brainwash, and more. I got to speak to Bruce Issacson, Bucky Sinister, and Richard Loranger about this exciting history.

Link to interviews: https://www.mixcloud.com/infinitealexander/book-talk-2-bruce-issacson-bucky-sinister-and-richard-loranger-speak-about-cafe-babar-sf/

CAFE BABAR POETS

DANIELLE WILLIS at CAFE BABAR

BRUCE ISSACSON

DANIELLE WILLIS

BUCKY SINISTER and ALEXANDER LAURENCE 1992

RICHARD LORANGER

TOM STOLMAR + CUPS MAGAZINE 1996

Poetry Reading in LA 1992

THOMAS STOLMAR

Thomas Stolmar moved to San Francisco in 1980. He was involved in the poetry scene off and on. Not really a hardcore Cafe Babar poet, Stolmar became more known in the 1990s as an entertaining freewheeling performer and the poetry editor of Cups Magazine. I spoke to him recently about being a marginal poet and still living in San Francisco today. He has recently published Vexation, Amplitude (2018). He has read at the Babar in Exile series, organized by Richard Loranger.

Link to Tom Stolmar Interview: https://www.mixcloud.com/infinitealexander/book-talk-3-thomas-stolmar-speaks-about-cafe-babar-sf/