Michael Brownstein

Michael Brownstein, 81, of Chichester, NY, died unexpectedly on Wednesday, September 18, 2024. He was born on August 25, 1943, in Philadelphia, PA and was the son of the late Benjamin and Evelyn Brownstein. He married X in X and divorced in X.

Michael Brownstein was a poet, novelist, and author. Often associated with Beat writing and both the New York School and a second generation of New York School poets, he moved to New York City in 1965 and quickly became part of the Poetry Project at St. Mark’s Church. In his poetry and prose, Brownstein drew on shamanic and indigenous healing practices from South America as well as non-Western wisdom and mystic traditions, including Hinduism and Buddhism. He published numerous collections of poetry, including Behind the Wheel (1967); Highway to the Sky (1969), which won a Frank O’Hara Poetry Award; 3 American Tantrums (1970); Strange Days Ahead (1975); and Oracle Night: A Love Poem (1982); Slipping the Leash (2017); Let’s Burn the Flags of All Nations (2018). His novels include Country Cousins (1974), The Touch (1987), and Self-Reliance (1994). His experiences in the anti-globalization movement led him to write the “treatise/poem” World on Fire (2002). Brownstein taught at the University of Colorado, Columbia University, and the Naropa Institute.

He is survived by his sister and brother-in-law, Ruth Brownstein and Craig Slatin, of Kensington, MD, and half-brother and sister-in-law, Lewis and Jaqueline Brownstein of New Paltz, NY, as well as nieces, nephews, and friends.

Arrangements entrusted to Keyser Funeral & Cremation Service, Inc., 326 Albany Avenue, Kingston, NY 12401.