Lengthy Interview with Louise “Gypsy Lou” Webb: Chiron Review Summer 2002

The Summer 2002 issue of Chiron Review included a lengthy interview with Louise “Gypsy Lou” Webb, co-founder and of LouJon press, which published Outsider magazine and two Charles Bukowski books, “It Catches My Heart In Its Hands” (1963) and “Crucifix in a Deathhand” (1965).

Gypsy Lou was 83 at the time of this interview with all her faculties were as sharp as a tack. She’s live to be 104, which is amazing since she complained of health issues since the early 1960s, which resulted in her and husband Jon Webb to move all over the place in his final years.

In any case, this is a lengthy interview by Vivian Shipley, taking up a two-page spread, plus an additional column and a half – in very small print. It also has a picture of Louise in her younger years sporting a swimming suit with Jon’s arm around her.

This copy has a fold, but remarkably no tears and minimal if any toning. There’s also no shipping label or postage. I guess I’d rate it Near Fine.

It’s a great interview for fans of Bukowski and LouJon Press alike.

LouJon Press Background:
As it directly relates to Bukowski, Loujon Press was responsible for transforming Bukowski into an established writer, even if fame wouldn’t occur until years later. They published Bukowski’s first true books, “It Catches My Heart In Its Hands” (1963) and “Crucifix in a Deathhand” (1965). These books are true works of art in and of themselves. The detail, the printing methods, the craftsmanship, and the pure insanity it took to undertake these endeavors was as unparalleled then and as it is today.

They also published Outsider magazine, which became the standard for poetry journals at the time. No other publication attracted nearly the talent that appeared in its pages and the production value of the magazine itself was unrivaled. Bukowski appeared in all four issues, with a large collection of poems in Outsider 1 (1961) and as the named “Outside of the Year” in Outsider 3 (1963), featuring Bukowski on the cover and a large center section.

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