The Gate was a coffeehouse located in the basement of Trinity Cathedral in Cleveland, Ohio. Poems in the first issue were gathered from the first reading in the series which occurred on March 25, 1966. Poems in the third issue were gathered from the second reading in the series which occurred on April 29, 1966. The featured reader was Kent Taylor, and The Jug Band performed. The fourth issue includes poems gathered at the third reading in the series which occurred on July 1, 1966. Featured readers were D.r. Wagner, Joe Walker and rjs. rjs continued publishing poetry from this reading series with Free Love Periodically volumes 1 and 2.

1. POETS AT THE GATE , Vol. 1, No. 1, edited by d.a. levy
Cleveland: d.a. levy, March 1966
First edition, corner-stapled, 8.5” x 11″, 10 leaves printed recto only, spirit duplicator printed by d.a. levy. (T&H P-79)

“…the editors of Weed, Free Lance, The Beginning, American Weave, and The Marrahwannah Quarterly were present… in all 25 poets read to an audience of approx. 100…”

• Contents:
  1. John Cornillon – “from No Hiding Place”
     Kent Taylor – [untitled] “my poems are…”
  2. Kent Taylor – [untitled] “tonight some people…”
     Adelaide Simon – “Museum Tour – Piazzetta”
     Grace Butcher – [untitled] “Touched by the shadows…”
     d.a. levy – “from The North American Book of the Dead”
     Joe Walker – “Lake Street Bridge”
     John R. Wherry – “3/5/66”
     Geoffrey A. Cook – “Om Sound”
     Eric K. Albrecht – [untitled] “sometimes i think…”
     Norman Jordan – “Toms”
     E. Hale Chatfield – “In The Navy Yard”
     r.j.s. – “In Co-operation with d.a. levy’s 30 Day War”
     Thom Szuter – “Lost Barn”
     Walter R. Keller – “Christmas in Cleveland”

2. POETS AT THE GATE, Vol. 1, No. 2, edited by d.a. levy
Cleveland: d.a. levy, April 1966First edition, corner-stapled, 8.5″ x 11″, 11 leaves printed recto only, spirit duplicator printed by d.a. levy. (T&H P-80)

• Contents:
  1. Joe Walker – “1966: First Poem”
     Bennet Hassink – “from The Notebooks of Bennet Hassink”
     J.T. Hartmann – [untitled] “I’m an American…”
     Kent Taylor – [untitled] “pieces of me…”
     d.a. levy – “from Cleveland The Rectal Eye Visions”
     d.a. levy – “from The Book of the Dead”
     W.E. Wyatt – “from A Marriage of Words”
     Roger Sauls -“Chikhai Bardo”
     Margaret Randall – “from Unside”
     Thom Szuter – “The Fall Sky”

3. POETS AT THE GATE, Vol. 1, No. 3, edited by d.a. levy
Cleveland: d.a. levy, April 1966
First edition, side-stapled, 8.5″ x 11″, 13 leaves printed recto only, spirit duplicator printed by d.a. levy. (T&H P-81)

• Contents:
  1. E.R. Baxter – “A Son”
     D.r. Wagner – “Holy Man Eating”
     D.r. Wagner – “Letter from the Embalmer”
  2. Tod Roy – “from The Dope Stream Meaning Breathlessness”
     Richard Barker – “Jon Paul Says”
     d.a. levy – [untitled] “it looks like an amphetamine rain…”
     Eric Albrecht – “American Haiku”
     R. Crumb – [comic strip] “Cheesis K. Reist in the Detroit Avenue Story”

4. POETS AT THE GATE, Vol. 1, No. 4, edited by d.a. levy
Cleveland: Free Love Press, July 1966
First edition, side-stapled, 8.5″ x 11″, 11 leaves printed recto only, spirit duplicator printed. (T&H P-92)

“On July 1st, 1966, 24 poets disguised as angels came up from hell to visit Cleveland…”

• Contents:
  1. Kent Taylor – “A Call to Arms”
     D.r. Wagner – “For Barb”
     D.r. Wagner – “Portrait of the Dust Man”
     Randy Rhody – “Orphans”
     E.R. Baxter – “All Returns are not Glorios”
     d.a. levy – “R.E. Vision #7 Part II for Art Kleps”
     J.T. Hartmann – “Viet Diet”
     r.j.s. – “Dogs of Tex Ass”
     Mike Nelson – “Climb”
     Joel Friedman – “A. Dream”
     Dagmar – “The Adventures of Super Gorge”
     J.T. Hartmann – [untitled] “stop and kill and lose…”