First thought, best thought

Summary: William S. Burroughs talks about his breakthrough methods for generating fresh writing: including "the cut-up method," chance operations, and dreamwork. Diane Di Prama discusses how to survive as an artist: preserving your sensibility, creating a supportive artistic community, getting published, self-publishing and more. Allen Ginsberg explores stages of poetic activity: from inspiration, to composition, to revision, to performing your poetry in public. Anne Waldman talks about the elements of the poet's craft: from the raw material of the words themselves to the many aspects of the poem in performance.