I've been binging on the Beat literature lately. It's so good, and it was really avant-garde for its day. This is excellent as well. You're entirely right, it's not so much the subject matter as the tone and style and what value a writer brings to the table. The thing that's been driving me nuts lately are the writers who write just to write something. My rule of thumb is, if you don't have something to say, don't publish.