Kurt Hemmer is the editor of the Encyclopedia of Beat Literature. With filmmaker Tom Knoff, he produced several award-winning films: Janine Pommy Vega: As We Cover the Streets, Rebel Roar: The Sound of Michael McClure, Wow! Ted Joans Lives!, Keenan, and Love Janine Pommy Vega. His essays have appeared in several works focused on Beat writers. In November 2022, he organized The Jack Kerouac Centenary Conference at Harper College. He is currently the Secretary of the Beat Studies Association and working on a biography of Gregory Corso.