A prominent voice of the wide-open poetry movement that began in the 1950s, Lawrence Ferlinghetti has written poetry, translation, fiction, theater, art criticism, film narration and essays. Often concerned with politics and social issues, Ferlinghetti's poetry countered the literary elite's definition of art and the artist's role in the world. He is the author of A Coney Island of the Mind, America's most popular book of poetry and, most recently, Time of Useful Consciousness. He is also a lifelong painter and publisher, and the co-founder and owner of City Lights Booksellers and Publishers in San Francisco, California.