Lawrence Ferlinghetti and City Lights

Lawrence Ferlinghetti's City Lights Bookstore became the Beats' publishing home and cultural headquarters. When Ferlinghetti published 'Howl and Other Poems' as number four in his Pocket Poets series in 1956, he knew he was taking a risk. The book's explicit language and radical politics made it a target for censorship, but Ferlinghetti believed in the power of poetry to challenge society. His bookstore in North Beach became a pilgrimage site for writers and rebels.

• City Lights published cutting-edge poetry

• Ferlinghetti championed free speech through literature

• North Beach became Beat Generation headquarters

• Store served as meeting place for writers