Firing Line with Margaret Hoover (the re-boot of the old William Buckley show) featured the intrepid and inspiring Ai Weiwei last week and concluded with this remark (following a clip of Allen):
“He’s truly amazing. He’s not a normal poet. He’s a soul. He represents the soul of the intellectual world in America, and he is so beautiful”
MH: Well, it was Ginsberg who told you, you need to write down your memories.
AI: Yes
Jack Kerouac‘s birthday this weekend and, as per usual, Lowell, Lowell Celebrates Kerouac, Jack’s home-town, celebrates him. The highlight of this weekend is a screening of the remastered and updated DVD version of Doug Sharples‘ acclaimed 1999 Kerouac documentary Go Moan for Man (tomorrow, March 11th, 3pm – 5pm, at the MCC Academic Arts Center – it will also play Sunday (Kerouac’s actual birthday) at the Green Light cinema in St.Petersburg, Florida, with two screenings at 2pm and 5pm, followed by a Q & A’ with Judy and Riva Sharples (of the producers, Cottonwood Productions) and special guests Ken Burchenal (new owner of the St. Petersburg Kerouac House) and Erik Deckers (President of the Orlando-based Kerouac Project ). In Lowell, it will be followed by a post-screening reception at Gallery Z. Also at Gallery Z, following that, there will be a musical performance by Mark Aleo. The following day, 2pm – 5pm, Lala Books in Lowell will host, “Talking Jack” – (Steve Edington will lead off a discussion on “what Jack may have meant by “The Vanity Of Duluoz”” – and, as the say, “we’ll let the discussion go from there”)
Jack’s 101 is also being celebrated at The Beat Museum which celebrates on that day its 20th anniversary. Beat Museum founders Jerry & Estelle Cimino will be on hand to raise a glass. Here’s looking at 20 more!
Speaking of Kerouac scholars, it is with great sadness that we note here the recent passing (February 27) of John J Dorfner – Dorfner was, of course, the author of the classic Kerouac – Visions of Lowell (1993), which features a generous note from Allen which the author thoughtfully included in the book as a foreword –
See “Numinosity of Place – Allen Ginsberg to John J Dorfner” – here
See also Jerry Cimino’s obituary note on the Beat Museum web-site – here
And more sad tidings, the imminent demise of the great peace activist and whistle-blower, Daniel Ellsberg.
We’ve told the story before, but it’s well worth telling again – “How Gary Snyder’s and Daniel Ellsberg’s chance meeting in Kyoto in 1960 changed them and world history”