Beat Scene, Issue 114, Winter 2026

Burroughs is pictured on the cover of this issue, which contains a significant amount of Burroughs-relevant material.

A quote of Burroughs’ from the San Francisco Chronicle, 31 May 1981, is on the contents page along with an image of Burroughs from his Mexico City arrest.

At the bottom of page 27 is an excerpt from Francis Ford Coppola’s and Michael Herr’s On the Road – A Screenplay, entitled “Sal Paradise and Old Bull Lee at the Races” [Old Bull Lee is a Kerouac character modeled on Burroughs].

Kevin Ring shares a dream that he had of Burroughs in “William Burroughs: Exhibit Dream” on page 38.

A review by Tom Albright of a Burroughs’ reading, originally published as “A Will Rogers of Sick Humor” in the San Francisco Chronicle Review of 31 May 1981, is on page 39.

Pages 40-49 contain a long and excellent interview with Oliver Harris, Cathy Marshall, and Simon Johnson, entitled “Ordinary Stupid People: Joan Vollmer’s Life Before the Beats Began”.

At page 51, Brian Dalton reviews Roosevelt After Inauguration Redux (edited and with an introduction by Oliver Harris).

On page 57, Eric Jacobs reviews Stewart Meyer’s Bunker Diaries, about Burroughs. Burroughs is additionally mentioned in a memorial for Alan Ansen at page 28, and in John Joseph’s review of A Certain Kind of Wizard: Treasures from the Vaults of Ira Cohen, edited by Romy Ashby.

Published in Binley Woods, England by Beat Scene Press (Kevin Ring) in early 2026.

Bibliographic Information:

• Raven 20260100BSCE.0.114

Selected Contents:

• Kevin Ring:
• "First Words" (editorial)
• "William Burroughs: Exhibit Dream" (prose)
• Jack Kerouac's 'Paws Ford'" (essay
• William S. Burroughs: quote
• Pauline Reeves: "Diane di Prima Is Beat Down to Her Soul" (essay)
• Tom Raworth: "Philip Whalen: Poet and Zen Monk" (essay, from The Independent, 2 July 2002)
• David Streitfeld: "Twilight of the Wanderer: Writer Paul Bowles, the Angry Young Man at 84" (essay, from 9 February 1995)
• Jolie Braun: "A History of Diane di Prima's Poets Press" (essay)
• Charles Upton: "Lew Welch as Contemplative Philosopher" (essay)
• Francis Ford Coppola and Michael Herr: "Sal Paradise and Old Bull Lee at the Races" (script, from On the Road – a Screenplay)
• Tom Swift:
• "Alan Ansen" (memorial)
• "A Jack Spicer Double" (combined review)
• unstated: "News from Viking" (text of an 8 November 1999 press release for Jack Kerouac Selected Letters 1957-1969, edited by Ann Charters)
• Sam Charters: photograph
• Pat Nolan: "The Quantum Kerouac" (essay)
• Ann Charters:
• "Publishing Kerouac: A Biography (1973)" (essay)
• photographs
• Tom Albright: "A Will Rogers of Sick Humor" (review/essay on Burroughs)
• Oliver Harris, Cathy Marshall, and Simon Johnson: "Ordinary Stupid People: Joan Vollmer's Life Before the Beats Began" (interview on Joan Vollmer)
• David Meltzer, Ron Loewinsohn, and Lewis Marsh: "Letters to Beat Scene" (letters)
• Brian Dalton:
• review of Roosevelt After Inauguration Redux by William S. Burroughs, edited and with an introduction by Oliver Harris
• review of Running Through Heaven: Visions of Jack Kerouac
• review of Baby Driver by Jan Kerouac
• Jim Burns: "Maxwell Bodenheim: Two Forgotten Novels" (essay)
• Colin Cooper:
• review of A Remarkable Collection of Angels: A History of the Six Gallery Reading by David Wills
• review of David Amram Honors Guthrie and Ochs: Old Souls
• Eric Jacobs:
• review of Stewart Meyer's The Bunker Diaries
• review of Allen Ginsberg in Context, edited by Erik Mortenson
• Sophia Nitrate: review of Someday We'll Build Cabins: The Letters of Jack Kerouac, Jacques Beckwith and Lois Sorrells Beckwith, edited by Bill Morgan
• John Joseph: review of A Certain Kind of Wizard: Treasures from the Vaults of Ira Cohen
• Carl Nolan: "Rexroth Essays" (essay)
• Jack Kerouac:
• "untitled poem" (poetry)
• "Paw's Ford" (poetry)

Publishing Information:

• Editor: Kevin Ring
• Assistant Editor: Jim Burns
• Research: Pauline Reeves, Erin Ring
• Post: M. Ring
• Layout: Scarlet Letters
• Beat Scene in USA: Marilyn Heneghan