Kenneth Patchen - 1911 - 1972

A Birthday Remembrance

13 December 1911

"The argument of innocence can only be lost if it is won."

I'm happy to get a chance to pay tribute to one of my first favorite poets on his birth date. I first started reading Patchen in the '70's impressed with his unbending idealism, voice of conscience, and artistic avant pacifist determination in the face of extreme odds, and of course his words.

Though lesser known than most writers, his unique talents as writer, artist, sculpter, and jazz-poet pioneeer, place him in a class by himself. Born in Niles, Ohio, into working class roots, much of his work deals with mankind's injustice to mankind, and the blatent shortcomings of the ruling class. And love - all of his books were dedicated "For Miriam". He produced several series of "Picture Poems" many distributed to friends in handmade books with personally painted covers, as seen below and at the enclosed link.



Link 1 (D2X): Kenneth Patchen

Link 2 (Google): Painted and Silkscreened Poems by Kenneth Patchen