Small Press Traffic presents a once-in-a-century celebration of poet Jack Spicer (1925-1965) and artist Fran Herndon (1926-2020), two legendary collaborators who helped define the San Francisco Renaissance. The historic convergence of their centenaries offers an unprecedented opportunity to discover their shared world through rare archival materials, a lithograph exhibition, a collective reading and workshop, and contemporary reflections on Herndon & Spicer's extraordinary influence. Through partnerships across the Bay and beyond, this concentrated weekend brings the transformative energy of the San Francisco Renaissance into the present by fostering intergenerational and interdisciplinary collaborations.

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Friday, September 19

1:00-3:00 PM
Samplings of Jack Spicer Materials from The Bancroft Library ‍

Selected by Daniel Benjamin in collaboration with Dean Smith‍

UC Berkeley, Bancroft Library (Logan Room)

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4:30-6:00 PM
Book Launch

Even Strange Ghosts Can Be Shared: The Collected Letters of Jack Spicer edited by Daniel Benjamin, Kelly Holt, and Kevin Killian
A book talk and collective reading featuring Daniel Benjamin, Kelly Holt, Dodie Bellamy, and others

Co-presented by SPT & the UCB Poetry Colloquium‍

UC Berkeley, 315 Wheeler Hall (Maude Fife Room)

RSVP

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5:00-8:00 PM
Exhibition Opening, Fran Herndon: Up to the Aether

Organized by David Abel & Noah Ross

Et al. Gallery, 2831a Mission Street

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Saturday, September 20

4:30-6:30 PM
Two Panels on Fran Herndon

Et al. Gallery

• 4:30 PM: "Fran Herndon Recalled," a discussion with Elizabeth Robinson, George Albon, and Christopher Wagstaff, introduced and moderated by David Abel
• 5:30 PM: "A poetry and sound session with Fran Herndon's Will the Circle Be Unbroken (1961)," a performance lecture by Juf (Bea Ortega Botas and Leto Ybarra)

‍RSVP‍

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Sunday, September 21

2:00-4:00 PM
Poetry as Magic Workshop
with Jane Gregory & Gillian Osborne

Et al. Gallery

In this generative session, we'll play with texts and techniques aligned with and oblique to Spicer's infamous Poetry as Magic workshop. Sliding scale $25-60.

Register

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Ongoing

September 12 - October 10
Jack Spicer & Fran Herndon Pop-Up Exhibit

Book Arts & Special Collections

San Francisco Public Library, 100 Larkin Street

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October - January
The Back Room

A special folio on Fran Herndon produced in collaboration with Juf (New York/Madrid) & A Tale of a Tub (Rotterdam)

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All events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted.

Et al. Gallery

University of California, Berkeley

San Francisco Public Library