Beats poetry developed on both the east and west coast of the U.S. during the 1940s, but became prominent in the 1950s in San Francisco. Post World War II, a group of poets such as Allen Ginsberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, and Gary Snyder, started questioning mainstream politics and culture. They rejected academic formalism and the materialism and conformity of the American middle class. These poets experimented with hallucinogenic drugs to achieve higher consciousness, enhance creativity, insight or productivity. They were inspired by intellectual interest, as well as simple hedonism. The Beat style is largely free verse, often surrealistic, and influenced by the cadences of jazz, as well by Zen and Native American spirituality. The movement was generated by a group of writers who just wanted to change consciousness, defy conventional writing, and celebrate non-conformity.