''NOLA Express'' is a publication started in 1967 in

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

by the young poets Darlene Fife and Robert Head. Part the underground free press movement of the 1960s, the paper was opposed to American

imperialism Imperialism is the maintaining and extending of Power (international relations), power over foreign nations, particularly through expansionism, employing both hard power (military and economic power) and soft power (diplomatic power and cultura ...

racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one Race (human categorization), race or ethnicity over another. It may also me ...

and

materialism Materialism is a form of monism, philosophical monism according to which matter is the fundamental Substance theory, substance in nature, and all things, including mind, mental states and consciousness, are results of material interactions. Acco ...

. It protested the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

and other government policies, along with social hypocrisies. Named after

William S. Burroughs William Seward Burroughs II (; February 5, 1914 – August 2, 1997) was an American writer and visual artist. He is widely considered a primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major Postmodern literature, postmodern author who influen ...

's cut-up novel, ''

Nova Express ''Nova Express'' is a 1964 novel by American author William S. Burroughs. It was written using the 'fold-in' method, a version of the cut-up method, developed by Burroughs with Brion Gysin, of enfolding snippets of different texts into the nov ...

'', the paper was produced by a dedicated band of activists, poets, and illustrators based in the

French Quarter The French Quarter, also known as the (; ; ), is the oldest neighborhood in the city of New Orleans. After New Orleans () was founded in 1718 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the city developed around the ("Old Square" in English), a ...

; it published uncensored news, art, and literature featuring

Charles Bukowski Henry Charles Bukowski ( ; born Heinrich Karl Bukowski, ; August 16, 1920 – March 9, 1994) was a German Americans, German-American poet, novelist, and short story writer. His writing was influenced by the social, cultural, and economic ambien ...

Hedwig Gorski Hedwig Irene Gorski (born July 18, 1949) is an Americans, American performance poetry, performance poet and an avant-garde artist who labels her aesthetic as "American futurism." The term "performance poetry," a precursor to Poetry slam, slam p ...

, and many others. ''NOLA Express'' is considered one of the most outrageous underground papers of the 1960s. Part of the controversy was due to the paper's inclusion of graphic images that many in Sixties society deemed

pornographic Pornography (colloquially called porn or porno) is sexually suggestive material, such as a picture, video, text, or audio, intended for sexual arousal. Made for consumption by adults, pornographic depictions have evolved from cave paintings ...

. Such controversies increased readership and brought attention to the political causes that editors Fife and Head supported.

History

Editors Robert Head and Darlene Fife were part of political protests that extended the " mimeo revolution" through pamphleteering used by

freedom of speech Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The rights, right to freedom of expression has been r ...

poets during the 1960s. New Orleans was considered the ''

Third Coast "Third Coast" is an American colloquialism used to describe coastal regions distinct from the East Coast of the United States, East Coast and the West Coast of the United States, West Coast of the United States. Generally, the term "Third Coast" ...

'' by 1960s

countercultural A counterculture is a culture whose values and norms of behavior differ substantially from those of mainstream society, sometimes diametrically opposed to mainstream cultural mores.Eric Donald Hirsch. ''The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy''. Ho ...

migrants who hitch hiked between

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

Austin Austin refers to: Common meanings * Austin, Texas, United States, a city * Austin (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin Motor Company, a British car manufac ...

, New Orleans,

Key West Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida, at the southern end of the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Island, it con ...

, and

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

.Gorski, Hedwig. ''Intoxication: Heathcliff on Powell Street. College Station: Slough Press, 2007. Forward.'' These social revolutionaries were able to find support, free housing, food, and work without commitments on the counterculture circuit. The

underground press The terms underground press or clandestine press refer to periodicals and publications that are produced without official approval, illegally or against the wishes of a dominant (governmental, religious, or institutional) group. In specific rece ...

movement unified those in the

anti-establishment An anti-establishment view or belief is one which stands in opposition to the conventional social, political, and economic principles of a society. The term was first used in the modern sense in 1958 by the British magazine ''New Statesman'' ...

service, social, and political movements, along with the

Bohemian Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, originally practised by 19th–20th century European and American artists and writers. * Bohemian style, a ...

circuit of artists, freewheeling travelers, and hitchhikers into a force that permanently impacted American policy and culture. ''NOLA Express'' was mobilized by an ever-changing ragtag army of street vendors, at its peak selling 11,000 copies every two weeks. Bukowski's syndicated column, ''Notes of a Dirty Old Man,'' ran in ''NOLA Express''; Francisco McBride's

illustration An illustration is a decoration, interpretation, or visual explanation of a text, concept, or process, designed for integration in print and digitally published media, such as posters, flyers, magazines, books, teaching materials, animations, vi ...

for Bukowski's piece "The Fuck Machine" was considered sexist, pornographic, and created an uproar. In a landmark decision in 1971, ''NOLA Express'' beat federal obscenity charges.

Affiliations

In 1967, the

Underground Press Syndicate The Underground Press Syndicate (UPS), later known as the Alternative Press Syndicate (APS), was a network of countercultural newspapers and magazines that operated from 1966 into the late 1970s. As it evolved, the Underground Press Syndicate crea ...

(UPS) cooperative was formed; the UPS allowed member papers to freely reprint content from any of the other member papers. ''NOLA Express'' was one of the most notorious UPS member newspapers, as it rallied

activists Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived common good. Forms of activism range from mandate build ...

, poets, and artists by giving them an uncensored voice. ''NOLA Express'' was also a member of the Committee of Small Magazine Editors and Publishers (COSMEP). These affiliations with two organizations that were often at cross purposes made ''NOLA Express'' one of the most radical and controversial publications of the counterculture movement.Fife, Darlene. ''Portraits from Memory: New Orleans in the Sixties. New Orleans: Surregional Press, 2000.''

Contents of June 9, 1972, issue

The contents of a single issue of ''NOLA Express'', No. 108 from June 9, 1972, covered

investigative reporting Investigative journalism is a form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, such as serious crimes, racial injustice, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing. An investigative journalist may spend m ...

about

environmental Environment most often refers to: __NOTOC__ * Natural environment, referring respectively to all living and non-living things occurring naturally and the physical and biological factors along with their chemical interactions that affect an organism ...

and community issues,

essays An essay ( ) is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a Letter (message), letter, a term paper, paper, an article (publishing), article, a pamphlet, and a s ...

about current political and social issues, bold

cartoons A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently Animation, animated, in an realism (arts), unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or s ...

, statements by self-styled fringe leaders, and more created for the large fringe

hippie A hippie, also spelled hippy, especially in British English, is someone associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, counterculture of the mid-1960s to early 1970s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States and spread to dif ...

and artist society of

and

Algiers Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...

: * "The Poisoning of Our Water Supply" * " Lake Charles Police Sued" * "Suit Against

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...

Dismissed" * "Kumi Maitreya La-La" by John Bennett * "Notes of a Dirty Old Man" by

* "Walter Collins Ani Maitreya Marilyn Austin John Dulude Ericka Huggins poem/art

centerfold The centerfold or centrefold of a magazine is the inner pages of the middle Folio, sheet, usually containing a portrait, such as a pin-up or a Nudity, nude. The term can also refer to the model featured in the portrait. In saddle-stitched maga ...

* "Merit Unified Field Theory III Geophysical Warfare:

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

" * "The Youth International Party in

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

" * "Planet News Small Press Communications Conspiracy" * "The North American Book of The Dead" by D. A. Levy * Ads for warehouse concerts (1/4-page ad for gigs by

Edgar Winter Edgar Holland Winter (born December 28, 1946) is an American multi-instrumentalist, working as a vocalist along with playing keyboards, saxophone, and percussion. His success peaked in the 1970s with his band the Edgar Winter Group and their pop ...

/ Groundhogs,

ZZ Top ZZ Top is an American rock band formed in Houston, Texas, in 1969. For almost 56 years, it consisted of vocalist-guitarist Billy Gibbons, drummer Frank Beard (musician), Frank Beard, and bassist-vocalist Dusty Hill prior to his death in 2021. ZZ ...

Wishbone Ash Wishbone Ash are a British Rock music, rock band who achieved success in the early to mid-1970s. Their albums include ''Wishbone Ash (album), Wishbone Ash'' (1970), ''Pilgrimage (Wishbone Ash album), Pilgrimage'' (1971), ''Argus (album), Argu ...

) * Letters, calendar of events, community bulletin board, classified ads

References

{{reflist Newspapers published in New Orleans Newspapers established in 1967 Underground press 1967 establishments in Louisiana

History

Affiliations

Contents of June 9, 1972, issue

Archives

See also

References