Crowe wrote this collection of letters to his parents while at The Hill School, Pottstown, Penn., through his time at Furman University (1968-1972), and after graduation while in San Francisco and in Western North Carolina. Postmark dates are given for letters that are undated.
While at The Hill School, Crow discusses his bad grades, his encouragement to be a writer, and politics, especially the 1964 presidential election in which Goldwater (Crowe’s choice) loses to Lyndon B. Johnson. Crowe’s letters while a student at Furman include his comments on current culture; his desire to transfer; his drug use and the availability of drugs on campus (1969-1970); his involvement in a Vietnam War protest march in Washington, D.C. (1969); Democratic Senator Fred Harris’ resignation (1970); and his marching in a war protest with American poet Allen Ginsberg (1972), considered to be one of the leading figures of the Beat Generation during the 1950s.
During the seventies Crowe moves frequently in the U.S. and for a short time to France. He discusses his arrest while in San Francisco and includes various poems and information about the San Francisco Poetry Festival. Crowe’s letters between 1978 and 1981 are from Saluda, N.C. and discuss his travels in the state and his developing career as a poet.
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