MARQUETTE – A multimedia literary event, inspired by the visits of famous poets identified with the Beat Generation, will be presented free to the public on Wednesday at the Marquette Regional History Center. Performance begins promptly at 5:30 p.m. in the C. Fred Rydholm Gathering Hall.

It was rescheduled from Nov. 12 due to the weather.

The History Center is the ideal venue for this event, given Marquette’s historic connection with authors of the Beat Generation, including visits by Anne Sexton, Allen Ginsberg, Richard Brautigan and Lawrence Ferlinghetti. Daniel Rydholm will set the stage, reading poems by the Beats and sharing anecdotes about their visits, while poets Russell Thorburn and Kathleen Heideman read their original poetry inspired by the Beats, invoking their presence in Upper Michigan.

“Jack Kerouac wouldn’t miss this one for the world,” said Russell Thorburn, who was named U.P. Poet Laureate in 2013, in a news release. Thorburn first met Allen Ginsberg during the Beat poet’s 1974 visit to Northern Michigan University. Through a series of serendipitous events, Thorburn and Ginsberg shared a van ride around Marquette, dined at Gloria’s Cafe, and Thorburn heard Ginsberg give an impromptu poetry reading at Marquette Senior High School before catching his plane. “For me, as a poet,” said Thorburn, “Ginsberg’s visit had an enormous impact.”

While searching for a photo from Ginsberg’s visit, Thorburn learned that Marquette photographer Tom Buchkoe had taken the newspaper photo he remembered: a shot of Ginsberg sitting cross-legged of the floor at the NMU University Center, meditating, beside a sleeping dog, with the caption “Beat Poet, Beat Dog.”

Daniel Rydholm will introduce Wednesday night’s event, reading poems by Beat poets and sharing anecdotes about their visits to Marquette. Rydholm was amazed to discover that well-known poets of the Beat generation found their way to Marquette. “This is truly an untold chapter of our local history,” said Rydholm. “I’m so excited to know that Marquette was plugged-in to the national literary conversation during those years. I like to imagine even Jack Kerouac – during the seven years of wandering that inspired his famous poem ‘On The Road’ – may have passed through the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, as did other Beat poets we’ll be presenting on Wednesday night.”

Writer and artist Kathleen Heideman remembers attending numerous readings by Ginsberg while studying art in New York City. “I was supposed to be studying sculpture, but I started spending my nights attending poetry readings all over Manhattan.”

Both Thorburn and Heideman recall hearing Allen Ginsberg perform the poetry of William Blake. “For me,” said Heideman, “it was in a church space, St. Marks in the Bowery, and Ginsberg played the concertina while singing ‘Tyger, Tyger, Burning Bright!’ Absolutely electrifying!” Thorburn will share his experience with Ginsberg and Blake during the performance.

Thorburn explained his goal in organizing this unusual poetry reading was to spotlight “forgotten pages of Marquette’s literary history.”

The event is free; donations to the Marquette Regional History Center accepted at the door.