Events
The Harvard Psychedelic Club with Don Lattin
Feb 18 2009 7:00PM - 9:00PM
Lecture Details
All lectures are 7-9 pm
$75 for full series/$15 per lecture
CIIS Main Building
1453 Mission Street, San Francisco
Author/journalist Don Lattin will talk about his new, critically-acclaimed book The Harvard Psychedelic Club, telling the story of how three brilliant scholars and one ambitious freshman crossed paths in the early sixties at a Harvard-sponsored psychedelic-drug research project, transforming their lives and American culture and launching the mind/body/spirit movement that inspired the explosion of yoga classes, organic produce, and alternative medicine.
This presentation will emphasize the cultural significance of the four men described in the book: Huston Smith, tirelessly working to promote cross-cultural religious and spiritual tolerance. Richard Alpert, a.k.a. Ram Dass, inspiring generations with his mantra, "be here now." Andrew Weil, undisputed leader of the holistic medicine revolution. And, of course, Timothy Leary, the charismatic, rebellious counter-culture icon and LSD guru. Journalist Don Lattin provides the funny, moving inside story of the "Cambridge Quartet," who crossed paths with the infamous Harvard Psilocybin Project in the early 60's, and went on to pioneer the Mind/Body/Spirit movement that would popularize yoga, vegetarianism, and Eastern mysticism in the Western world.
It was meant to be a time of joy, of peace, and of love, but behind the scenes lurked backstabbing, jealousy, and outright betrayal. In spite of their personal conflicts, the members of the Harvard Psychedelic Club would forever change the way Americans view religion and practice medicine, and the very way we look at body and soul. This lecture and reading will tell the inside story of the book's creation and prompt a group discussion about the impact that psychedelic drugs have had on the way we live our lives today. Don will also show some rare - and hilarious - film footage he has found documenting early LSD research in the 1950s.
Don Lattin is one of the nation's leading journalists covering alternative and mainstream religious movements and figures in America. His award-winning work has appeared in dozens of U.S. magazines and newspapers, including the San Francisco Chronicle, where Don covered the religion beat for nearly two decades. His other books include Jesus Freaks: A True Story of Murder and Madness on the Evangelical Edge; Following Our Bliss: How the Spiritual Ideals of the Sixties Shape Our Lives Today and Shopping for Faith: American Religion in the New Millennium. Visit him online at www.donlattin.com
ONLINE REGISTRATION IS CLOSED FOR THIS EVENT. TICKETS AT THE DOOR.
