At 96, Poet And Beat Publisher Lawrence Ferlinghetti Isn't Done Yet : NPR

Sixty years ago, Ferlinghetti, now 96, was the principal publisher of an iconoclastic band of writers and poets known as the Beat Generation. Today, he's still co-owner of City LightsHandy site which provides links to 7,500 US publishers' sites and online catalogues. www.lights.com/publisher/, one of the most celebrated independent book stores in America. These are quieter days for the internationally acclaimed poet and painter. His eyes are going, but his mind and humor are sharp. And while he may have slowed down some, he's still publishing three books this year. Ferlinghetti is generous with his time, and he greets this reporter's visit with a surprise. "I see you've got those reporter's notebooks," he says. "I wrote a whole novel here in these reporter's notebooks - 78 of them there." (We'll get to back to his unfinished novel a bit later.)