Charles Giuliano at the Mount on June 5
Launches Book of Gonzo Poetry Shards of a Life
By: BFA - May 27, 2015
On June 5, The Mount presents the book launch of "Shards of a Life" by Charles Giuliano the publisher/ editor of Berkshire Fine Arts. The free event from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. includes a reading by Giuliano followed by a book signing and reception on The Mount’s Terrace. The Mount is located at 2 Plunkett Street in Lenox.
In 2006 when they moved from Boston Charles Giuliano and Astrid Hiemer established the on line magazine Berkshire Fine Arts which features their writing and distinguished national and international arts correspondents. He has held staff and correspondent positions for Avatar, Boston After Dark/ Phoenix, The Boston Herald Traveler, Art New England, Art News, The Arts Newspaper and other publications.
He serves on the executive committee of the American Theatre Critics Association (ATCA) and is a member of The International Art Critics Association (AICA).
While telling a wild story in the apartment of then Boston Globe Sunday Magazine editor, Bill Cardoso, with dramatic flourish Giuliano coined the word Gonzo. He was the first to publish the now ubiquitous word in the July 3, 1970 edition of the Boston Herald Traveler, for which he covered jazz and rock. Giuliano wrote "Some 25,000 gonzo fans jammed the bowl end of Harvard Stadium, Wednesday, July 1 to hear their sex-rock idols, Ten Years After. The Schaefer Festival foams on with top rock."
The word was appropriated by Cardoso and expanded as Gonzo Journalism then passed to Hunter Thompson. Gonzo is less a formal school of writing than a flat out, often outrageous, over the top state of mind.
As the only surviving founding practitioner Giuliano has continued to develop and refine Gonzo. The result of that effort is "Shards of a Life" written in his unique style of Gonzo Staccato Poetry. The content of the work assaults the senses of readers in quick energetic bursts often evoking the improvisation and lyricism of jazz with the gotcha lines and catchy hooks of pop music.
The poems which are quick and fun include memories of his colorful Italian/Irish heritage growing up as the son of medical doctors. They range from an "interview" with the Duke of Windsor, a debutante ball at Versailles, and yacht racing in Annisquam to encounters with jazz and rock musicians including Miles Davis, Gerry Mulligan, Dexter Gordon, The Rolling Stones, James Brown, Moondog, Yoko Ono, and Captain Beefheart.
In an introduction to the book former CBS Network Associate Producer, J.M. Robert Henriquez, states that the work is "Defined by a voracious appetite for universal knowledge and the willingness to inform his readers. As a poet he is defined by language."
About launching this first book of verse Giuliano says "There has been a great team to make this project possible. The first reader has been Astrid Hiemer. Leanne Jewett was a meticulous editor and we have worked with the superb designer Amanda Bettis. J. M. Robert Henriquez wrote an insightful introduction."
The playwright Mark St. Germain comments that "Charles Giuliano is a master storyteller. His poetry takes us through the layers of his heart."
Christopher Busa the publisher of Provincetown Arts Magazine says that "With a reporter's hawk-eye for seizing on salient detail, Charles Giuliano's Gonzo poems are guided by laser-like evocations of key scenes from rich experience."
The 169 page book "Shards of a Life" may be ordered on demand for $14.95 through Amazon. The book is richly illustrated with images of his Irish/ Italian family as well as the rock and jazz musicians he covered for numerous publications.
For additional information, and to register to attend the event, visit EdithWharton.org. Registration is suggested but not required.
About Charles Giuliano
Charles Giuliano is a graduate of Boston Latin School, Brandeis University and holds an MA in American Art and Architecture from Boston University. He was director of exhibitions and taught art history and the humanities for New England School of Art & Design/ Suffolk University. In 2001 Giuliano and his wife, Astrid Hiemer, formerly an Administrator Officer for the Center for Advanced Visual Studies at MIT, bought property in the Berkshires where they now live and work.
About The Mount
The Mount is a National Historic Landmark and cultural center that celebrates the intellectual, artistic, and humanitarian legacy of Edith Wharton. It engages a diverse audience by providing context to Wharton's life and achievements through our educational and public programs and the conservation and preservation of her historic estate and gardens.
Each year, The Mount is host to over 40,000 visitors. Daily tours of the property are offered May through October, with special events throughout the year. Annual summer programming includes a joint exhibit with SculptureNow, Wharton on Wednesdays, Music After Hours, and the celebrated Monday Lecture Series. Exhibitions explore themes from Wharton's life and work.