I first met Art Kunkin at the Renaissance Pleasure Faire in 1965, back when it was still a fundraiser for KPFK, my family’s radio station of preference. I was 16. The following summer he offered me my first job, doing graphic layout at the Freep. To my mind, this was the hotbed of hipdom in Los Angeles. I thrived.
Later that year, I wrote a note to my friends on the staff about some place I was traveling, and, unbeknownst to me, they published it in the Letters to the Editor. My first publication! Joan Didion saw my letter and published it in the Saturday Evening Post in her Points West column about the underground press [titled “Alicia and the Underground Press”]. The Freep actually launched my career as a teenaged author. Blessings upon you, Art!
It was only a couple of years later that Alicia wrote, illustrated and designed the boho sustainable living guide Living on the Earth, the first paperback book ever on the New York Times Bestseller List.
Alicia Bay Laurel currently tours as a singer/songwriter with three CDs released (psych folk, Hawaiian slack key, and jazz/blues). You can find her books and CDs, her events schedule, and her popular blog, at https://aliciabaylaurel.com.
Alicia Bay Laurel 