Fresh Lotus Rehabby Marc Olmsted was released on February 11th, 2009. This is the latest poetry chapbook publication from Virgogray Press and is a long overdo peek into the secret planet of someone who could perhaps be the last of the Beat poet generation (maybe one of the founders of the post-beat generation). Now in his 50’s, Marc presents a fresh rendering of verse utilizing the big mind style, that is to say, as Ginsberg’s Buddhist teacher said, “First thought/best thought” or poetry that is uninhibited and honest, unconcerned with over-thinking or over-analyzing. And truly the poetry of Fresh Lotus Rehab takes us into this realm of poetry writing and spices it up with events relevant to today. We learn of the personal tragedies and peeves of the poet, which is always interesting where juxtaposed with Buddhist philosophies, and peer into the poetic thought process over events like the arrival of the Olympic Torch in San Francisco, the  fires of South California, the ghosts of the war for oil. For all it’s timeliness, Fresh Lotus Rehab remains personal, a gift from the poet to the reader. And what a gift indeed. Marc Olmsted has released 3 previous books: Milky Desire (Subterranean Press, 1991), Resume (Inevitable Press, 1998), and What Use Am I a Hungry Ghost(Contemporary Press, 2001) which included an introduction by Allen Ginsberg.  Marc has lectured at Naropa University and U.C. Berkeley. Pick up Fresh Lotus Rehab and stay tuned for more news from Marc coming soon.