The inaugural article is by Gerald Nicosia. Gerry is one of the foremost Kerouac biographers, the author of Memory Babe, a critically acclaimed biography (an updated version has just recently been published). He is also a close friend and colleague of Jan Kerouac, Jack's daughter and herself an acclaimed novelist.
An open letter by Jan Kerouac to New York University, protesting the treatment she received by the organizers of a recent Kerouac conference, is the second entry in this series.
We anticipate frequent contributions from both Gerry and/or Jan. Additionally, Jack's brother-in-law, John Sampas, has also been invited to contribute either directly or through his designees. As of the beginning of this publication, he has declined. The invitation remains open, and will be formally extended again. We are currently contacting others who knew Jack, and do hope to feature contributions from a number of people.
In terms of topics ... anything pertaining to the Kerouac legacy is fair game. In terms of format, we hope to see critical essays, reminiscences, discussions, and broadsides.
As many of you know, there has of late been growing controversy around the deposition of Jack's estate, and related issues. Jack's estate is within the purview of his legacy, and its deposition is of interest to Kerouac scholars, as well as just plain Kerouac fans. While we don't intend to focus exclusively on this issue, IKL will provide an uncensored forum for its discussion, as well as discussion of any other issue relevant to the Kerouac legacy. We hope to cover all viewpoints fairly, and to avoid taking sides ourselves.
The people who bring you IKL and Literary Kicks neither add nor subtract from published articles. Articles are presented exactly as submitted by their authors. Any representation of facts, claims, characterizations, or any other statements made by the authors are the sole responsibility of those authors.
An Open Letter to N.Y.U. by Jan Kerouac
Literary Kicks
Inside the Kerouac Legacy
A Special Section Maintained by
Ralph Virgo = rvirgo@ix.netcom.com