Speech is Not Free Fest–a brief History

Ping-Pong Magazine’s release parties have always been spectacular. Here is a brief summary: Speech is Not Free Festival, a brief history: The first event took place in Los Angeles at Coagula Curatorial Gallery and at the legendary McCabe’s Guitarshop: with Deradoorian, Tim Youd, Sesshu Foster, Paz Lenchantin, Pearl Charles and Lauren Barth, Kevin Morby, Christian Wargo, and Jonathan Wilson.

The Second and Third Speech is Not Free Event took place at my old stomping grounds, The Henry Miller Memorial Library

The Fourth festival took place when we joined forces with Howl! Happening to present an evening of writing dedicated to freedom of the press and against fascism.

The fifth reading took place in 2019 at the Sprechsaal Gallery in Berlin, Germany.

Readings typically feature the writings of the contributors to Poet Republik and also a long history with publications in the legendary Ping-Pong Journal of art and literature, We love our authors of the publications from Ping-Pong Free Press and Poet Republik Ltd: Anne Waldman, Brenda Coultas, Joanna Fuhrman, Janet Hamill, Kate Lutzner, Jameson O’Hara Laurens, Shelley Marlow

As Editor-in-Chief of Ping-Pong journal of art and literature, and longtime president of the board of the Henry Miller Memorial Library, Maria Garcia Teutsch, published writing and art in the spirit of Henry Miller and Anaïs Nin, who championed the disregarded, the liminal, and the censored, and who, above all, wanted to bring into the light writing and literature that troubled the elite. Teutsch founded Ping-Pong Free Press to further the work done by Ping-Pong journal in the hopes of upending the literary world’s expectations and expose readers to a wider, stranger universe. Teutsch says,  “my association with Ping-Pong Journal is something I am incredibly proud of. Through this publication the Library has in turn supported hundreds and hundreds of poets, writers, artists and photographers through its pages. These writers are part of varied communities: LGBTQ, people of color, and the under-represented—some of whom would never have found a voice in the mainstream, like Henry Miller, like Anaïs Nin, like Arturo Vega.”  

Poet Republik Ltd. has published the following titles: Forthcoming: Pearl Eye Medium and Star-Blood by Jean-Noel Chazelle; Occasionally I Remove Your Brain through Your Nose by J. Hope Stein; Horologion by Mark Lamoureux, Invitation to a Rescue by Kate Lutzner and more to come…

The Henry Miller Memorial Library published the following titles by Ping-Pong Free Press: A Small Suitcase of Russian Poetry, EDS. Ilya Kaminsky and Katie Farris; Medeaum, by Jameson O’Hara Laurens; White Fire by Elliot Ruchowitz-Roberts; and, No Ledge Left to Love, by Dylan Krieger while Maria served as president of the board and Editor in Chief.

Ping-Pong Free Press’ latest publication is Ouroboros Must Eat and Other Food for Thought