LAWRENCE FERLINGHETTI was 88-years-old when he published his prose book: Poetry as Insurgent Art. Celebrating his 100th birthday this year, Ferlinghetti's long life as a poet/bookstore owner/publisher began when he published Allen Ginsberg's Howl in 1956 through his City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco. When it was ruled obscene in 1957 by Uncle Sam, Ferlinghetti was arrested, stood trial, and was later exonerated by the California Supreme Court when it found the poem had "redeeming social importance." Never afraid to face down authority, his opening words to his 2007 book are as relevant today as ever. And Greta Thunberg immediately comes to mind when we see or hear them. At 16, she embodies those words, and with her actions inspires us to do the same.
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