THE DAILY BEAT: Report from Lowell Celebrates Kerouac!: Marathon reading of The Dharma Bums

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Report from Lowell Celebrates Kerouac!: Marathon reading of The Dharma Bums

At the Cafe Paradiso on Sunday, starting at 10 AM, Kerouac lovers participated in an oral reading of The Dharma Bums, start to finish. We were there early for breakfast, given that our hotel, The Doubletree, had no electricity and showering was too dangerous in the dark bathroom, not to mention that my car battery was dead when we went out to load up - a result of leaving the interior lights on all night and resulting in a call to AAA and me running back from the Cafe to meet the guy for a jump start. No harm done as I was there for the beginning reader, Ray (from Maine!).

I read Chapter 2.

Crystal read Chapter 3.

I can't remember the name of the young man who read Chapter 4, nor do I have a picture.

Dennis read Chapter 5 (my favorite - about yabyum).

And Jim read Chapter 6 (a lonnnggggg chapter).

At that point we sadly headed back to Maine, to responsibilities and such.

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Reviews of The Beat Handbook

Gerald Nicosia, author of the acclaimed Kerouac biography Memory Babe, said The Beat Handbook is "full of Jack's heart."

Jared Randall, author of the excellent book of poetry, Apocryphal Road Code, said this about The Beat Handbook: "Sometimes a book comes along at just the right time. In my wandering pack of experiences, I find they often do. Enter The Beat Handbook by Rick Dale."

Kenneth Morris, Kerouacian extraordinaire, said this:
"I just finished reading Rick Dale's beautiful utterance and call to action of Kerouac mind-set and zen sensibilities. It made me laugh and reflect on my own life and road I have naturally grooved into after absorbing the Kerouac canon. The road less traveled always had my name on it. And that has made all the difference. The Beat Handbook 100 Days of Kerouactions reaffirms the attitudes and ideology that made the Beats and Kerouac the important men of ideas that America (and the world) thirsted for, needed, and swallowed whole. Beautiful, absorbing, Top Ten whipsmart from my articulate, tender-hearted friend and fellow traveler. Highly recommended."