Lowell Celebrates Kerouac!

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ADDENDA

There was a showing of film maker John Antonelli's newly issued DVD release "Kerouac" (previously released on VHS), Saturday, October 4, at 1:30 PM, in the Lowell National Historic Park "Visitor Center," Market Street. Commentary was provided by Kerouac scholar, Steve Edington.

The Joyce Johnson play, "Door Wide Open" had Ms. Johnson playing herself in the role performed in NY by Amy Wright. The play was held in its entirety FREE OF CHARGE at the Higher Ground Coffee House on Middle Street, Friday October 3.

The Long Island NY band "Curse" were at the Barnes and Noble Booksellers located at 151 Merrimack Street, Saturday October 4, from 12:45 am to 2:45 pm. They signed copies of their CD single, "Pull My Daisy" featuring David Amram's classic Beat anthem.

George Wallace, Poet Laureate of Suffolk County (LI) New York, and author of the article, "Woody Guthrie Revisited," published in the August/September issue of The Improper Hamptonian, published in Long Island's, "Hamptons" with a readership on both sides of LI Sound, provided an introduction to the Woody Guthrie tribute Saturday night at EVOS.

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U. MASS. LOWELL, JACK KEROUAC CONFERENCE ON BEAT LITERATURE

The biennial Jack Kerouac Conference on Beat Literature, one of the nations premiere opportunities for scholars to present work of academic interest on the subject of Beat art, literature, film, and music, founded and chaired by Professor Hilary Holladay of U. Mass. Lowell, coincided with the 16th Annual Lowell Celebrates Kerouac! Festival. The two organizations cosponsored several events. The first being the first of two showings of the Beat classic, Pull My Daisy, which was narrated by Jack Kerouac and featuring a score written by David Amram, who was present at the showing. Mr. Amram provided comment and answered questions from the audience.
LCK! provided additional sponsorship to Mr. Amram, who participated in a number of events throughout the festival weekend.
This year's conference keynote speaker, Regina Weinrich, also took part in LCK!s annual Commemorative at the Commemorative, commenting on and reading from Kerouacs haiku, in collaboration with Mr. Amram from a collection which she recently edited for Viking/Penguin.
LCK! and The Kerouac Conference additionally cosponsored a talk on The On The Road Typescript Scroll; Fact, Fiction, Myth, regarding the early history of the scroll.


Selected Conference Bios

Jack Kerouac's friend and original musical collaborator, David Amram, has been described by The Boston Globe as the Renaissance man of American music. His compositions include 100 orchestral and chamber works, including Giants of the Night, inspired by Charlie Parker, Jack Kerouac, and Dizzy Gillespie, two operas and the score for the Beat classic Pull My Daisy. A long time friend of Lowell Celebrates Kerouac!, Mr. Amram plays French horn, piano, guitar, numerous flutes and whistles, percussion, and a variety of folkloric instruments from 25 countries. Mr. Amram is the author of Offbeat: Collaborating With Kerouac (Thunders Mouth Press, 2002) and his autobiography, Vibrations, which was recently reissued in paperback by Thunders Mouth Press.

Regina Weinrich this year's keynote speaker, is the author of Kerouacs Spontaneous Poetics (Thunders Mouth Press, 2002) and the editor of Kerouacs Book of Haikus (Viking/Penguin, 2003). She was co-producer/ director of the award-winning documentary Paul Bowles: The Complete Outsider (1993) and a writer on The Beat Generation: An American Dream (1986). An essayist and critic, her work has appeared in The Paris Review, The New York Times, Talk Magazine, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, Entertainment Weekly, and Village Voice. She is currently teaching courses in creative writing and the Beat Generation authors at The School of Visual Arts in New York City.

Jim Canary is the head conservator at Indiana Universitys Lilly Library, home of the scroll manuscript of Kerouacs On the Road. For the next several years, Mr. Canary will be traveling this fragile 120-foot document while it is on national tour.


15th Annual Lowell Celebrates Kerouac! Festival, October 4-6, 2002

This year marks a landmark 15th year that the annual Lowell Celebrates Kerouac! festival has been held in Lowell, Massachusetts to commemorate the life and work of Lowell born writer Jack Kerouac. Jack's classic, On The Road, turns 45 this year. Jack, himself, remains 80 years young. Along with the various tours, poetry competition, and open mic's that have been a hallmark of the festival for years, this year brings photographer, author (Poets On The Peaks - Gary Snyder, Philip Whalen, and Jack Kerouac in the North Cascades) John Suiter, who will be presenting a lecture on photo-documentary technique at the University of Massachusetts Lowell South Campus, room. 222 of the O1Leary Library building, located on Wilder Street, from 12:00 noon to 2:00 pm on Friday October 4. Suiter will, additionally be presenting a slide show and talk on his book at Boott Cotton Mills, 400 Foot of John Street at 7:30 pm.

Events will be going on all afternoon with a showing of "Pull My Daisy," at 2:30 pm, hosted by the movie1s theme composer and Kerouac musical collaborator, David Amram. This event will also take place in room 222 of the O1Leary Library building of the University of Massachusetts Lowell South Campus, on Wilder Street. A special feature of this years festival will be two showings of the PBS aired and cinema presented Beat documentary, "The Source," by Chuck Workman. This will show at Boott Cotton Mills, 400 Foot of John Street at 4:00 pm, and again Sunday at 4:00 pm in the same location.

Friday evening will rock. Blues aficionado and legendary underground band, MC5 associate, John Sinclair will do a show at The Worthen, 141 Worthen Street, starting at 9:30 pm. Come get a seat early. Live jazz begins at 8:30.

More tours, the Commemorative Event at The Commemorative located in Jack Kerouac Park on Bridge and French Streets at 11:00 am, and book signings,additional tours and performances, such as David Amram's Cairo to Kerouac at The Pollard Memorial Library at 1:30 pm prove to keep things moving through Saturday afternoon. There will be a 4:00 pm showing of film maker Henry Ferrini's award winning "Lowell Blues," at the Lowell National Historical Park Visitor Center on Market Street. Another regularly held event, Reading at The Rainbow Cafe, 14 Cabot Street, begins at 4:30 pm.

Saturday evening features Janet Hamill. Janet is a poet and artist currently working with Moving Star musicians Bob Torsello (bass), Jay LoRubbio (guitar), and Sean Healy (drums). Janet and Moving Star have performed at numerous venues including, The Knitting Factory and CBGB's Gallery. Recently Janet and the band released their first full-length  CD, Flying Nowhere, produced by Lenny Kaye, with cameo appearances by Patti Smith on clarinet. Janet and Moving Star will be joined by guest artist David Amram. Amram has been described by the Boston Globe as "the Renaissance man of American music."

Sunday finishes off with more tours, the open Amram Jam, at The Sugar Shack, and local feature talent showcased in the evening, again at The Sugar Shack, 100 University Avenue.

For an audio listing of the festival schedule, dial 1-877-KEROUAC.


Friday

October 4 kicks off this years activities with a high school poetry competition at Lowell High School, located at 50 French Street, starting at 11:00 am. This will be followed by photographer, author (Poets On The Peaks- Gary Snyder, Philip Whalen, and Jack Kerouac in the North Cascades), John Suiter presenting a lecture on photo-documentary technique at the University of Massachusetts Lowell South Campus, room. 222 of the O1Leary Library building, located on Wilder Street, from 12:00 noon to 2:00 pm. Also, in room 222 of the O1Leary Library Building will be a showing of the Beat classic short film by photographer Robert Frank, Pull My Daisy, hosted from 2:30 to 3:30 pm, by one of the films actor1s and composer of the films theme, Kerouac musical collaborator, David Amram. Lowell Celebrates Kerouac! in cooperation with the Lowell National Historical Park is pleased to present the first of two showings of Chuck Workman's, documentary on The Beats, The Source, at 4:00 pm. The showing will be at Boott Cotton Mills, 400 Foot of John Street, and will be shown again in the same location, again at 4:00 pm on Sunday afternoon.

The evening promises to be equally interesting for those looking to get a taste of Kerouac1s Lowell, with a Kerouac Pub Tour hosted by Mike Wurm. The tour meets at the Lowell National Historical Park (LNHP) Visitor Center at 6:00 pm, and concludes at The Worthen Pub on Worthen Street at approximately 8:30 pm (see listing for John Sinclair). If this isn1t your cup of tea, try this; photographer, John Suiter (author, Poets On The Peaks) will present a slide show at Boott Cotton Mills, 400 Foot of John Street at 7:30. The Foot is still only a short walk to Worhten Street so, in either case, the evening is still young for those looking for something to do. Blues aficionado and legendary underground band, MC5 associate, John Sinclair will
do a show at The Worthen, 141 Worthen Street, starting at 9:30 pm. The Worthen1s 3House2 jazz band will entertain during seating, beginning at 8:30 pm.

Saturday October 5 continues, starting with Kerouac's Nashua Connection Van Tour led by Steve Edington. Reservations are suggested. The tour leaves from the Lowell Barnes and Noble Bookseller's, 151 Merrimack Street, at 9:30 am, with an additional pick up at the Borders Books and Records, located on South Daniel Webster Highway, at 10:00 am; call (603) 883-3141.

The annual Commemorative at The Commemorative will be held at Kerouac Park, Bridge and French Streets at 11:00 am. This year Lowell Celebrates
Kerouac! will honor the memory of Michael Tsouprakakis, cousin of Stella Kerouac, and long time supporter of Lowell Celebrates Kerouac!, in addition to the memory of poet, Philip Whalen, and painter, sculptor, saxophonist, and actor in the Beat classic film, "Pull My Daisy," Larry Rivers. John Suiter will do a
book signing of Poets On The Peaks, Barnes and Noble, Merrimack Street, at 12 noon. The book signing will be followed by the Hey, Jack Kerouac Walking Tour meeting in front of the Visitor Center located on Market Street. This tour will be led by a LNHP Ranger, starting at 1:00 pm. A full day of events continues with David Amram performing Cairo to Kerouac at the Pollard Memorial Library, located on Merrimack Street, next to City Hall, 1:30 pm. David Amram moves down the street immediately afterward, where he will be signing his latest memoir, Offbeat, Thunder's Mouth Press, describing his collaboration with Jack Kerouac, at the
Barnes and Noble located on Merrimack. The book signing is scheduled for 3:00 pm.

Also at 3:00 pm is Kerouac on The Merrimack a 2 hour boat tour that will be led by a LNHP Ranger, call (978)970-5000 for more information. There will be a 4:00 pm showing of film maker Henry Ferrini's award winning visual poem, "Lowell Blues," based on Kerouac's "Doctor Sax," at the Lowell National Historical Park Visitor Center, Market Mills Complex, Market Street. The afternoon closes out with an Open Mic at The Rainbow Cafe, 14 Cabot Street, starting at 4:30 pm.

Saturday evening features Janet Hamill. Janet is a poet and artist currently working with Moving Star musicians Bob Torsello (bass), Jay LoRubbio (guitar), and Sean Healy (drums). Janet and Moving Star have
performed at numerous venues including, The Knitting Factory and CBGB's Gallery. Recently Janet and the band released their first full-length CD, Flying Nowhere, produced by Lenny Kaye, with cameo appearances by Patti Smith on clarinet. The author of four books and a forthcoming collection of short fiction, co-authored with Patti Smith, Janet Hamill is a long
time friend of Patti's who attended Glassboro State Teachers College with her during the mid nineteen sixties. Hamill performed as part of Patti's Central
Park Summer of 95 Evening. Arranged by Patti in advance, Patti introduced Janet as "my mentor," with Hamill reading several pieces from her 1992 book
Nostalgia of the Infinite (foreword by Patti Smith and art by Giorgio de Chirico).

Janet and Moving Star will be joined by guest artist David Amram. Amram has been described by the Boston Globe as "the Renaissance man of American
music." Composer of over 100 orchestral and chamber works, he has written operas, and many scores for theatre and films, including Splendor in the
Grass and the Manchurian Candidate. He plays French horn, piano, guitar, numerous flutes and whistles, percussion, and a variety of folkloric
instruments. A conducter and performer with symphony orchestras around the world, he has participated in major music festivals, and traveled from
Brazil to Cuba and from Kenya to Egypt. He has collaborated with such notables as Leonard Bernstein, Dizzy Gillespie, Lionel Hampton, Charles
Mingus, Dustin Hoffman, Thelonius Monk, Willie Nelson, Jack Kerouac, Betty Carter, Odetta, Elia Kazan, Arthur Miller, and Tito Puente, and has recently published his memoirs concerning his friendship and collaboration with Jack Kerouac. Janet Hamill and Moving Star, joined by David Amram, will beappearing at the Dove Cafe, St. Joseph the Worker Shrine, 37 Lee Street, at 7:30 pm; admission $10.

The festival continues into Sunday Oct. 6 with what has become something of a tradition, the Amram Jam, which will be held at The Sugar Shack, 100 University Avenue, starting at 1:00 pm. For those wanting to get a little more sightseeing in before leaving Lowell, the Jack Kerouac Walking Tour (Exploring Lowell) will be led by a LNHP Ranger. This tour departs from the Lowell National Historical Park Visitor Center on Market Street at 2:30 pm. Another tour, Kerouac on The
Merrimack, will be led by Richard Scott beginning at 3:00 pm. For more information on either tour call (978) 970-5000. For those who did not get to see Chuck
Workman1s, documentary on The Beats,The Source, or simply wish to see it again, it will be shown at 4:00 pm at Boott Cotton Mills, 400 Foot of John Street.


Acknowledgements

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Organized by Lowell Celebrates Kerouac!, who gratefully acknowledge the support of the following: the members and festival volunteers of Lowell Celebrates Kerouac!,

Mogan Center Committee, The University of Massachusetts-Lowell, John Sampas - literary representative - Estate of Stella Kerouac, The Pollard Memorial Library, Lowell National Historical Park, Lowell Heritage State Park, Lowell High School, Hank Garrity Antiques, Dove Cafe, Worthen House, Sugar Shack, Barnes and Noble Bookstores of Lowell, Rainbow Cafe, Whistler House Museum of Art, Greater Merrimack Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau, and any other individual or organization who has contributed to the production of the 15th annual
Lowell Celebrates Kerouac! Festival and whose name was inadvertently not captured in the above listing.

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