The Big Boring Book Blog

History of the New York School of Poets

The New York School of poetry began around 1960 in New York City and included poets such as John Ashbery, Barbara Guest, Kenneth Koch, and Frank O’Hara. Heavily influenced by surrealism and modernism, the poetry of the New York School was serious but also ironic, and incorporated an urban sensibility into much of the work

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A second generation of New York School poets arose during the 1960s and included Ted Berrigan, Ron Padgett, Anne Waldman, and Joe Brainard. These poets were also influenced by art, and their work contained much of the same humour and collaborative spirit. Their scene grew up around downtown New York and was associated with the Poetry Project at St. Mark’s Church, a poetry organization started in the mid 1960s.

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Influence

• The style mostly came from abstract expressionist and surrealist painters

• Some painters associated with the New York School were Jasper Johns, Larry Rivers, Jackson Pollock, Williem De Kooning, and Mark Rothko 

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Way of Life

• The painters and poets associated with the New York School were in the same social circle; they socialized together, lived together, were involved in relationships, and often collaborated together.  

• Almost all the poets were art critics, working primarily with Art News Magazine ​

• Several poets were curators, with Frank O’ Hara and James Schuler both working for the New York Museum of Modern Art 

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• Ideas

• Gay Rights movement was acentral subject for the New York School

• With the exception of people like Kenneth Koch, most members of the New York School were to some extent gay. ​

• The New York School was more open about being gay than the beats, often openly incorporating it in their poetry and not hiding their sexuality ​

• Frank O’Hara was the epitome of this, and as such, is recognized as the third overtly gay writer in the history of poetry