Vic and Clive's Interview on WordSwell:
About Us:
History, Values & Mission
History
WordSwell was founded by a group of San Francisco Bay Area poets and writers brought together by Clive Matson, a Beat Generation direct expression lyric poet and creative writing teacher who mentored under Allen Ginsberg, Herbert Huncke, John Wieners, and Diane de Prima and who has published nine volumes of poetry, numerous articles in literary journals, and the writing textbook Let the Crazy Child Write! WordSwell began in 2008 to support the activities of local poets and has been involved in various activities through the years, such as the production of a quarterly mailer, The Scribbler, the sponsoring of writing programs and events, involvement in the Bay Area HipHop community, and figuring in the creation of An Eye For an Eye Makes the Whole World Blind — Poets on 9/11, an American poetry anthology of works by over 100 poets, which Clive Matson both helped edit and wrote the preface for, and which received the PEN Oakland National Writing Award in 2003.
Values
WordSwell believes that increasing one’s ability to write, think, and be aware makes an important step in dissolving differences between people. We believe these abilities interact and augment each other. When one ability increases, so does the potential of another. This principle of authentic communication applies from small groups to larger groups with major differences, such as class, race, gender, economic, educational, age, geographical and political differences.
Mission
WordSwell is a literary organization created to provide a vulnerable place for artistic expression, to broaden the capacity for writers and artists to connect, and to create a space for the literary community to publish and review one another's works.