This volume brings womens contribution to Beat literature, art, and their milieu out of the shadows, expanding the "Beat canon" to include and discuss works and persons which are frequently overlooked. By opening up the borders of scholarly discourse and letting new voices, images, and discussions enter, that a fuller picture of Beat culture in America can be seen. The book presents the newest research on the female beats in literature, art, and culture, discussing pioneer figures Hettie Jones, Ruth Weiss, Joan Haverty Kerouac, Diane di Prima, Joyce Johnson, Carolyn Cassady, Jay DeFeo, and even lesser known writers and artists, such as Jane Bowles, Bernice Bing and Elisabeth Von Vogt.