Impassioned Cows By Moonlight

This book was published in 1974 by Red Dot Press, a division of Hanging Loose magazine in New York. I was invited to submit the manuscript for the first book-publishing venture of this long-running literary periodical.

The poems and short stories are in chronological order, beginning with one written at age 14 and ending with some from age 21. During that time I lived in Riverside, California; then Ferndale, California; then Riverside again; then traveled across the country and was taken to Europe as a dancing extra in a movie; then two years later – in 1972 – returned to San Francisco. The poems reflect these travels.

The cover is a drawing made by the Red Dot staff artist from a photo of me in costume for my part in a show by Les Nickelettes all-female theater group of San Francisco.

During those years I did many poetry readings in Southern and Northern California, as well as in London (including on BBC radio!)

The book is now out of print, but occasionally can be found on Amazon for an amazingly inflated price. There are typos in it because when the time came for me to check the galleys I had flown to India and did not return…and it was not thought practical to send the galleys to me there! I had thought that since the original was correct (as I was assured it was) the galleys would be too. This was a big mistake, from which I learnt an important lesson: always proof-read! So if anyone locates a copy I would be happy to supply the corrections by e-mail.

About Madhuri Z K Akin

Madhuri Z K Akin

Madhuri was born in California in 1952. She studied poetry and dance at UC Riverside, then in 1970 left hitchhiking on her travels, was invited into a film as a dancing extra, ending up in Europe for two years, where she wrote, published, and had unwise teenage misadventures. She returned to San Francisco, where she performed poetry and acted in dubious films. Her younger sister had meanwhile made it to India, where she met the mystic Osho, then called Bhagwan. She sent for her sister and mother to share in the revelation.

Madhuri then spent 30 years in Osho's communes, meditating, working, dancing, and eventually teaching psychic opening.

Her first book, Impassioned Cows by Moonlight, was published by Hanging Loose Press, New York, in 1974. She is the author of nine books, including the memoir Love at Dancing Leaves: a Tantra Memoir, and Mistakes on the Path.

She lives in Hebden Bridge, England.