Allen Ginsberg

Brontë’s writing taught me something of the all-consuming, destructive capacities of love. But it was through previous readers that I truly felt the power of a shared experience.

Does it matter that almost 70 years ago this same route was followed by the beatniks? I think the answer lies in how busy City Lights is and how the Beat Museum manages to survive against all odds...

On my computer, I wrote troves of poetry and metaphorical stories, burdening Microsoft Word documents with lamentations about the depression I had been dealing with since fourth grade, and about my parents divorcing. Alone in my room, symbolic pen in my hand, I began, in earnest, to cement my career as a writer.

Renowned poet and biographer Tom Clark, 77, died several hours after he was hit by a car in North Berkeley on Aug. 17.

He called it home for just a year, but the echoes of his presence are still here — just as Whitman’s ghost romped around in Ginsberg’s fantasies, Ginsberg’s ghost continues to roam in Berkeley.

After 60 years of service to the Berkeley community, Caffe Mediterraneum — a historic center of counterculture movements — will be changing ownership.

By now, you've probably roamed through the streets of Chinatown and sat by the water at Fisherman’s Wharf. But perhaps you have yet to wander into the adjacent North Beach. North Beach is San Francisco’s Little Italy. It has historically been home to many Italian-Americans and used to be an actual beach before the city’s borders were extended. Whether you’re looking for a relaxing spot to read a book while sipping some high-quality espresso or simply looking to grab a hot slice of pizza, North Beach should definitely be your go-to spot.