Friends of the Jack Kerouac House Inc. are kicking off the On the Road Citywide Book Club August 29th at the literary lion’s old haunt, Flamingo Bar, 1230 9th St N., at 7:30pm.
“We wanted to do something to bring greater attention to the Kerouac house that hasn’t been talked about in a long time.” Says Margaret Murray of Friends of the Jack Kerouac House Inc.
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In true Kerouacian spirit, these meetings are not going to be On the Road readings to listen to passively. Participants are to bring their own copies of On the Road and join “…the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time…” (Jack Kerouac, On the Road) as they engage in food-for-
thought dialogue and cut loose at the Kerouac-themed events led by panels of scholars. 
Embrace your (up)Beat side by challenging conventions with the spiritual, the raw, the true. Access to all the events (and a goody bag) is $10 with registration. All proceeds will be used to maintain the legacy of Kerouac.
Meetings will alternate between Flamingo Bar (Tuesdays at 7:30pm-9:30pm) and Kahwa Coffee South, 204 2nd Ave. S. (Saturdays at 11am-12pm) throughout September that will lead up to the Closing Night Beach Bash on September 28th at The Bends, 919 1st Ave N.
“I believed in a good home, in sane and sound living, in good food, good times, work, faith and hope. I have always believed in these things. It was with some amazement that I realized I was one of the few people in the world who really believed in these things without going around making a dull middle class philosophy out of it. I was suddenly left with nothing in my hands but a handful of crazy stars.” (Jack Kerouac, On the Road: The Original Scroll)
Jack Kerouac. Dharma Bum. King of the Beats. Jack, who immortalized American counter culture with classics such as On the Road and Dharma Bums, lived out his final years in St. Pete from 1966 to 1969 in a small block house at 5169 10th Ave. N. with his mother Gabrielle and third wife Stella. While the ladies kept the celebrity seekers at bay, Jack brought stacks of his books to Haslam’s Book Store or played pool at The Flamingo Bar while kicking back his infamous “shot and a wash”. He died of a stomach hemorrhage at age 47 in St. Anthony’s Hospital, a fed-up alcoholic who had seen better days.
Friends of the Jack Kerouac House Inc. have a vision. They endeavour to preserve the Kerouac house as a historic resource by opening it as a museum. The vision also includes small, by appointment only tours. The ultimate goal is to link St. Pete and Kerouac to the world’s literary stage permanently and the group is negotiating with the executor of the Kerouac estate to make the dream a reality. The lettuce raised from this book club series should help.
Photo via Gina Vivinetto’s blog
Do you have a favorite Jack Kerouac quote? An observation about life? Share them in the comments! After all, “The best teacher is experience and not through someone’s distorted point of view.” (Jack Kerouac, On the Road).
Article by Norris Comer, Writer/Editor for iLovetheBurg.com
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