More than 20 contemporary North American poets recite, sing, and perform their work. Early in the film, Charles Bukowski talks about the energy of poets and of a poem. These poets are the children of Walt Whitman and of Charles Olson, incantatory and oratorical, radical, sometimes incorporating contemporary political imagery. Black Mountain poets, the Beats, minimalists like John Cage, the wordless Four Horsemen, Tom Waits, and others capture aspects of poets as troubadours.
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
 Charles BukowskiSelf | Self |
 William S. BurroughsSelf | Self |
 John CageSelf | Self |
 Jim CarrollSelf | Self |
| RRobert CreeleySelf | Self |
 Allen GinsbergSelf | Self |
 Tom WaitsSelf | Self |
 Gary SnyderSelf | Self |
| TTed BerriganSelf | Self |
 Ed SandersSelf | Self |
| DDiane Di PrimaSelf | Self |
 Amiri BarakaSelf | Self |
 Anne WaldmanSelf | Self |
| KKenward ElmslieSelf | Self |
| CChristopher DewdneySelf | Self |
| MMichael McClureSelf | Self |
| TTed MiltonSelf | Self |
 Michael OndaatjeSelf | Self |
 John GiornoSelf | Self |
 Ntozake ShangeSelf | Self |