This resource is an interactive archive and exhibition space devoted to Jack Kerouac and connected topics, particularly relating to Lowell, Massachusetts, the city of Kerouac’s birth and childhood. There is a nice selection of audio recordings, taken from a large of collection of Kerouac-related material owned by the University of Massachusetts Lowell. The recordings feature contributions from Kerouac’s childhood friends, as well as fellow-writers William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, covering subjects such as Kerouac’s sexuality, the idea of the ‘vision quest’, religion, childhood, life on the road, and, less obviously Kerouac’s similarity to the Fonz from the television show Happy Days.
A small selection of video clips feature Professor Todd Tietchen discussing the first part of The Town and the City, as well as a clip of Allen Ginsberg speaking at UMass Lowell. The audiovisual resources are complemented by links and a bibliography.