Professor Mark Linenthal Testified in Allen Ginsberg 'Howl' Trial

SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER -- Linenthal’s father, Mark Linenthal, was a poetry professor at San Francisco State University. “He testified in the Howl trial,” in which Lawrence Ferlinghetti was accused and found not guilty of obscenity for publishing Allen Ginsberg’s poem.

“He stood up for what he valued, free speech and for art,” Peter Linenthal said, beaming. “He argued that to call it obscenity was to take a narrow view; rather, it changed the expectations for what a poem could be, which I thought was a nice way to put it.”