Biography of Ruth Weiss
Submitted by Professor Rich Falco. Interview by Tom Bellino (Planet Arts)

"There is no such thing as an end.
I believe in the spiral that keeps on going."
... ruth weiss
She is the subject of a film called Ruth Weiss, the “beat goddess” by filmmaker Melody C. Miller…
In a life that has spanned 92 creative years, Ruth Weiss is one often cited as one of the most influential writers of the Beat Generation.
"Ruth Weiss became a Jazz troubadour exemplifying the zeitgeist of Chicago, New Orleans, and San Francisco". In the 1950s, she opened up and organized the first poetry readings in North Beach cafes and bars, giving a platform to many poets.
She was born in Berlin, Germany, on June 24, 1928. After moving to Chicago in 1949, Weiss was a poet associated with jazz or “reading poetry” to improvisational jazz music. She is always mentioned as a member of America's Beat Generation which began in the mid 1950s and continued into the 1970s. She was at the forefront of women's rights and an acclaimed movie director and playwright.
Ruth Weiss, 92, passed peacefully of natural causes on July 31, 2020 in Albion, California, in her home surrounded by friends. She will always be remembered as a pioneer.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Steps (1958)
Gallery of Women (1959)
South Pacific (1959)
Blue in Green (1960)
The Brink (1961) film
Light and Other Poems (1976)
Desert Journal (1977, new edition 2012 by Trembling Pillow Press)
Single Out (1978)
For These Women of the Beat (1997)
A New View of Matter / Nový pohled na věc (1999)
Full Circle / Ein Kreis vollendet sich (2002)
Africa (2003)
White is All Colors / Weiß ist alle Farben (2004)
No Dancing Aloud / Lautes Tanzen nicht erlaubt (2006)
Can't Stop the Beat: The Life and Words of a Beat Poet (2011)
A Fool's Journey / Die Reise des Narren (2012)
A Parallel Planet of People and Places (2012)
Einen Schritt weiter im Westen ist die See [One More Step West is the Sea] (2012)
The Snake Sez Yesssss / Die Schlange sagt Jetzzzzzt (2013)