Snyder read his poem "A Berry Feast" at the poetry reading at the Six Gallery in San Francisco (October 7, 1955) that heralded what was to become known as the San Francisco Renaissance. This also marked Snyder's first involvement with the Beats, although he was not a member of the original New York circle, but rather entered the scene through his association with Kenneth Rexroth. As recounted in Kerouac's "Dharma Bums", even at age 25 Snyder felt he could have a role in the fateful future meeting of West and East. Snyder's first book, "Riprap", which drew on his experiences as a forest lookout and on the trail-crew in Yosemite, was published in 1959.