May 15, 1967, Cleveland Press

A fund for the legal aid of poet D. A. Levy and book sore owner James R. Lowell stood at $1000 today following a benefit performance by poet Alan Ginsburg and a folk-singing group from New York City.

Jasper Wood, chairman of the Lowell-Levy defense fund committee, said $3000 still is needed.

Levy is accused of disseminating and reading obscene poetry and Lowell is charged with selling obscene material.

Wood reported no police harassment at the session in Case Tech’s Strosacker auditorium. A capacity audience of 600 was on hand to hear the idols of New York’s Greenwich Village.

GINSBURG, who is probably the best known of the nation’s beat poets, read one of the poems for which Levy was arrested.

Levy read two poems.

Ginsburg, and the folk-rock group call the Fugs, donated their services. The Fugs, who flew here from Madison Wis., are on a nation tour.

WOOD SAID another poetry reading, by Robert Creley, described as one of the top American contemporary poets, was scheduled for a later date.

Western Reserve University Physics professor Paul Zilsel presided.

He told the audience: "I can go down Euclid Ave. and buy all the commercially produced literature I want. As far as I am concerned, Mayor Locher’s callousness is obscene, the Hough riots are obscene, the war in Vietnam is obscene."

"I would rather listen to Ginsburg."

Although Case officials had been subjected to some pressure to cancel the concert, no disturbances were reported. One student placed a sign in his dormitory window which said, "Draft Poets, not Engineers."