Andrew Kopkind

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  • Andy Kopkind (1) - The Writer

  • Andy Kopkind (2) - The Farm

About

One of the great chroniclers of the 1960s, Andrew Kopkind was a brilliant journalist always 'sniffing the zeitgeist' and pushing boundaries while covering race, civil rights, war and poverty. He pushed boundaries also as an openly gay man in an era when such freedom was sorely contested, producing “Lavender Hour,” the first gay and lesbian vari­ety program on American commercial radio with his long-time partner John Scagliotti. After obtaining degrees from Cornell University and the London School of Economics, he reported for Time, the New Republic, the Village Voice and many other publications before becoming Associate Editor of The Nation, America’s oldest continuously published weekly magazine. Kopkind wrote two books: America: The Mixed Curse (1969) and The Thirty Years' Wars: Dispatches and Diversions of a Radical Journalist, 1965-1994, an anthology of his writing published posthumously in 1995, edited by JoAnn Wypijewski. In 1974, Kopkind bought Tree Frog Farm in Guilford, Vermont, which became a gathering place for like minded journalists, filmmakers, and other culture makers who shared Kopkind’s passion for social justice. When Kopkind died of cancer in 1994 at age 59, the Kopkind Colony was founded at Tree Frog Farm to remember his work and mentor journalists, filmmakers and community activists through a summer residency program and other activities that continue there today.

Tour Stop Location: Kopkind Road/ Corner of Kopkind Road and Packer Corners

1 Kopkind Road, Guilford, Vermont 05301, United States

Research & Production

Producer/Editor/Narrator: Maria Margaronis

Interviews with John Scagliotti, JoAnn Wypijewski and the voice of Andrew Kopkind

Clip from 'Lavender Hour' on WBCN Boston parody of Lou Reed's 'Take a Walk on the Wild Side'

Allen Ginsberg excerpt from the film 'Before Stonewall: The Making of a Gay and Lesbian Community': https://www.firstrunfeatures.com/beforestonewall.html

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Images (3)

  • <p>John and Andy. Photo courtesy of the Kopkind Colony</p> <p>John and Andy. Photo courtesy of the Kopkind Colony</p>
  • <p>Kopkind Road street sign</p> <p>Kopkind Road street sign</p>
  • <p>"Andy and Pamela" a painting. Courtesy of Kopkind Colony</p> <p>"Andy and Pamela" a painting. Courtesy of Kopkind Colony</p>

Pictured Above: Andy Kopkind (L), Daisy Cockburn, Alexander Cockburn and John Scagliotti at Treefrog Farm, Vermont, 1981. Courtesy of Kopkind Colony