Sunday, October 2, 2011

What I'm reading at Kerouac's grave this year

As faithful readers know, this coming weekend is Lowell Celebrates Kerouac. As per my eccentric pattern, I will again be reading from a Jack Kerouac work at his grave, hoisting a bottle of 16-year-old single malt Bushmills, leaving a copy of The Beat Handbook on the grave, and depending on Crystal's great photography skills for videoing the whole affair for posting on YouTube (maybe we can get her to read as well, and I will clumsily try to video that as well).

Here are video links to our past pilgrimages:

Rick reading from The Dharma Bums during LCK 2008
Rick reading from Doctor Sax during LCK 2009
Crystal reading Lawrence Ferlinghetti's "Pictures of the Gone World: 11" during LCK 2009

What shall I read this year? Well, Jack wrote Big Sur in October 1961, 50 years ago this month (click here for source). That fact, combined with my fondness for the novel, means I will be reading from my tattered copy of Big Sur. Now, what passage? I have a couple of ideas. If you time it just right, you can catch us there during filming. Chances are it will early Friday afternoon on the way into town.

No comments: