WNBA-SF Past President Brenda Knight interviewed Ruth Weiss in 2017. Now that we near the first anniversary of her passing, we wanted to bring you this interview of hope and writing…
Beat poet and jazz spoken word innovator Ruth Weiss started writing as a teen and, at the age of 88, has not stopped. A contemporary of Jack Kerouac, Neal Cassady, and Allen Ginsberg, Weiss is one of the most important voices of the Beat Generation whose work remains fresh, relevant and more modern than ever. A holocaust survivor, she urges writers to “be truth tellers in your work and in your words.” Below is an interview of Weiss with WNBA-SF President Brenda Knight, author of Women of the Beat Generation, and includes a discussion of Weiss’s advice to young writers and scribes of all ages.
BK: How did you come to America?
RW: My family was on the last train out of Vienna before the Nazis put the Jews in the camp. Most of our family died in the concentration camps. We knew we had to get out of Europe if we were to survive. We were silenced. I will not be silenced.
BK: When did you know you were a writer?
RW: I think I always knew it; Vienna was a center for the arts before the war. Inspiration was everywhere. In America, everything was wide open. You could do anything, be anything.
BK: Is it fair to say you hit the road way before Jack Kerouac?
RW: Yes, and he and I talked about that. He liked the idea of a girl with green hair hitchhiking back and forth across America. I’ve been dying my hair different colors almost as long as I’ve been writing poetry. Jack and I really connected over haiku and would spend hours talking about the beauty of that form and would read and write haiku together.
BK: Are you particular about your writing desk you tools and environment for composing?
RW: I still use an Underwood typewriter and make sure my writing space is in good order. I never know when inspiration might strike and can sit down, put in a sheet of paper and write a new poem.
BK: Did you experience any problems as a young woman in the San Francisco poetry scene?
RW: Oh, yes. Most of the other poets were very accepting and encouraging, but a few wanted control. Allen Ginsberg was very competitive and even tried to keep me from reading sometimes and physically blocked me from the stage once. I know that will shock some people but it is the simple truth. For the most part, all the poets on the scene over time have been beautiful, peaceful, loving people. I have gotten a lot of support over the years and count these poets as my friends.
BK: What is the story behind your decision to keep your name lower case?
RW: Every time I sign my name, it is a revolutionary act, my way of standing up to the control of the “law and order” Germans in the ’30’s whose demand for control led to WWII and Nazis murdering millions of people, including my family. My name is a form of resistance.
BK: We have a so-called “law and order” president of the United States now; what do think about that?
RW: I take it as a warning and I have also noted that writers, artists and poets are sounding the calls to action.
BK: What is your best advice for writers, particularly women and young people?
RW: Many writers suggest you write every day at a certain time and I know that works for a lot of people. My advice is “less is more.” Never overwrite or just keep writing. Spare use of language, only using the right words will lead to better work, get you closer to greatness. Tell the truth in your truest voice and your work will be pure and beautiful.
Following in an excerpt from one of Ruth’s poems upon moving to San Francisco:
i’m 22.
don’t think i’ll make it to 30. don’t think. write.
words are my friends. words are wings. protect.
i have a room of my own. i shall always have a room of my own. that i will. this cancer girl gotta have a room of her own.
one by one the ones who must play—enter.
the search for that note—that only one. it’s a jam for the
heartbeat. no feet tapping. no hands clapping.
i walk slow through daybreak-blue. back to north beach.
my lids fold around my whole being.
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Kate Farrell is our host and facilitator. Kate is a storyteller, author, librarian, founded the Word Weaving Storytelling Project and published numerous educational materials on storytelling. Farrell’s new book, a timely how-to guide on the art of storytelling for adults, Story Power: Secrets to Creating, Crafting, and Telling Memorable Stories, was released in June 2020. 
Sheryl J. Bize-Boutte is a Pushcart Prize nominated author. Her second book, All That and More’s Wedding, is a collection of fictional mystery/crime short stories. Running for the 2:10, a follow-on to A Dollar Five delved deeper into her coming of age in Oakland and the embedded issues of race and skin color. Betrayal on the Bayou, published June 2020, is her first novel. Website: 
Humaira Ghilzai is a writer, speaker and Afghanistan Cultural Consultant. Humaira opens the world to Afghan culture and cuisine through her wildly popular blog, 
Mary Mackey is an award-winning novelist and poet with fourteen novels and eight collections of poetry. Mary became a writer by running high fevers, tramping through tropical jungles, dodging machine gun fire, being swarmed by army ants, making catastrophic decisions about men, and reading. Website: 
Sharifah Hardie is a business consultant, talk show host and influencer. Sharifah was a Long Beach City Council Candidate in the 2020 March 3rd Primary Election and is a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Expert. With over twenty five years of business experience, Sharifah Hardie has positioned herself to become one of the top executives in entertainment, business, politics and a person on the rise. Sharifah is the author of Signs You Might Be An Entrepreneur – How to Discover the Entrepreneur in You
Lyzette Wanzer’s work appears in over twenty-five literary journals. She is a contributor to The Chalk Circle: Intercultural Prizewinning Essays (Wyatt-MacKenzie), The Naked Truth, Essay Daily, and San Francisco University High School Journal. A three-time San Francisco Arts Commission and Center for Cultural Innovation grant recipient, Lyzette serves as Judge for the Soul-making Keats Literary Competition Intercultural Essay category. She is currently helming an anthology entitled Trauma, Tresses, & Truth: Untangling Our Hair Through Personal Narrative.
Sumbul Ali-Karamali, a former corporate attorney with an additional degree in Islamic law, is an award-winning writer and speaker. She grew up in California, answering questions about her religion, which is why her books engagingly introduce readers to Muslim beliefs and practices and include The Muslim Next Door: The Qur’an, the Media, and that Veil Thing and her just-released Demystifying Shariah: What It Is, How It Works, and Why It’s Not Taking Over Our Country.
Pushcart Prize nominee Sheryl J. Bize-Boutte is an Oakland multidisciplinary writer. Her autobiographical and fictional short story collections, along with her lyrical and stunning poetry have been described as “rich in vivid imagery,” “incredible,” and “great contributions to literature.” Her first novel, Betrayal on the Bayou, was published in June 2020. She is also a popular literary reader, presenter, storyteller, curator and emcee for local events.
Fourth-generation native San Franciscan, Kathleen Archambeau, is an award-winning writer and LGBTQ activist. She is author of four nonfiction works, Climbing the Corporate Ladder in High Heels (2006), “Seized,” an essay in The Other Woman (2007), edited by Victoria Zackheim, Pride & Joy (2017), and We Make It Better (2019), with gay dad, Eric Rosswood. Academy Award-winning screenwriter, Dustin Lance Black wrote the Foreword to Pride & Joy and endorsed We Make It Better. Archambeau’s work has been favorably reviewed in global and national literary publications and she has been a featured speaker at national and global Pride literary events. Her book was included as part of the Oakland Museum of California store’s Queer California Exhibit and she is a founding member of the James Hormel LGBT wing of the SF Public Library.
Michael Larsen co-founded Larsen-Pomada Literary Agents in 1972. Over four decades, the agency sold hundreds of books to more than 100 publishers and imprints. The agency has stopped accepting new writers, but Mike loves helping all writers. He gives talks about writing and publishing, and does author coaching. He wrote How to Write a Book Proposal and How to Get a Literary Agent, and co-authored Guerrilla Marketing for Writers. Mike is co-director of the San Francisco Writers Conference and the San Francisco Writing for Change Conference.
Rose Castillo Guilbault is the author of the highly acclaimed memoir Farmworker’s Daughter: Growing Up Mexican In America. Her essays have been published in dozens of textbooks and anthologies. She also wrote the book The Latina’s Guide to Success In the Workplace. Rose was the first Hispanic columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle; her column “Hispanic USA” was honored by a number of journalistic and community organizations. A longtime television journalist, she was awarded an EMMY for her work. Ms. Castillo Guilbault was featured in the award-winning book Latinas and Their Muses. Her community activities include Chair of the Commonwealth Club of California’s board of directors and serving as a judge on the Book Awards Committee for several years.
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WNBA-the National Organization 