Local charity celebrates centennial of Jack Kerouac’s birth

The Friends of Jack Kerouac (a local non-profit charity founded in 2012) are hosting a month long celebration for the centennial of Jack Kerouac’s birthday. Jack Kerouac, the famous author of “On The Road” and “Dharma Bums” was a pioneer of the Beat Generation who was born on March 12th, 1922 to French-Canadian parents in Lowell, Massachusetts. Kerouac lived in the Disston Heights neighborhood of St. Petersburg, FL during two different stints from 1964-66 and 1968-69, he passed away at St Anthony’s Hospital on October 21st 1969 at the age of 47. Kerouac completed 1/4th of his writing while living in Florida (Orlando and St. Pete) during the late 50’s and early 60’s. The Beat Generation was an American counter culture movement which began in the late 1940’s encompassing art and literature. Characterized by spontaneous expression, stream of conscious writing, cut up word collage, sexual liberation, spiritual exploration and the rejection of standard narrative values.

Kicking off the Spirit of Kerouac Festival is an art exhibit and poetry showcase, Age of Kerouac: A Beat Generation Celebration. The show is free and open to the public, with an opening night reception on Friday, March 4th at The Studio@620 from 6-10PM. Works on display feature art and poetry by 47 local creatives, plus live jazz music, an hour long poetry performance, a Beat Generation costume contest, and food catered by Gateway Subs. Artists have been encouraged to create work that celebrates the larger scope of the Beat Generation, not just Kerouac, but also techniques of the era and the works of his contemporaries. Works will be on display from March 4th to March 31st at the back gallery of the Studio@620.

Two showings of the 2012 film adaptation of On The Road directed by Walter Salles will be brought to the screen of indie theater Green Light Cinema on Saturday March 12th at 7:00 PM and Sunday March 13th at 2:00PM. Events continue with Poetry Open Mics at The Studio Public House on March 14th from 6-8PM and at the Flamingo Bar on March 17th also from 6-8PM.

As part of Keep St Pete Lit’s sixth annual SunLit Festival, the Friends of Jack Kerouac are hosting a guided bike tour called the Tour de Kerouac, A Literary Bike Tour on the morning of April 3rd from 10am-12pm. The tour is being developed into a self-guided app that will allow the public to access a series of bike/walk/driving tours for free. Funding for the bike tour has been made possible by a grant from The Florida Humanities Council and is central to the charities’ new mission and current goals. The Tour de Kerouac will feature historical landmarks that Kerouac interacted with during his time living in St. Petersburg, FL including but not limited to: The Flamingo Bar, St. Anthony’s Hospital, Al Lang Field, Haslam’s Books, The Manhattan Casino and Mirror Lake Community Library. Selected stops on this special guided tour will have live readings from local poets. This cycling adventure will start and end at The St Pete Bike Co-op. The guided tour route on April 3rd will take approximately 2 hours and cover 7.6 miles. For more info on all the events that are part of the Sunlit festival please visit the website: www.sunlitfestival.org

If you would like to sign up as a volunteer for these events or to participate in the bike tour email us at: Friendsofkerouac@gmail.com

Or visit our website:
Friendsofjackkerouac.org