Kerouac at 90?! But all his books present him as inhabiting an eternal present — wrinkle-free, adventuresome and forever youthful. To reconcile this parallax view of one of the cornerstones of American literature, there's “Kerouac At 90: Beyond Baroque Presents a Celebration of the Work of Jack Kerouac.” It'll be 55 years this September since the publication of On the Road, and, having influenced everyone from Brautigan to Dylan to Bangs, it's no surprise that Kerouac is celebrated by the always forward-thinking folk at Beyond Baroque the day before what would have been his 90th birthday. The readings and panel discussion read like a Who's Who of the cream of the literary crop: S.A. Griffin (globetrotter with his poetry troupe The Carma Bums, who was also named Best Performance Poet by Wanda Coleman); Aram Saroyan, concrete poet and son of author William Saroyan; poet Ellyn Maybe of Henry Rollins' 2.13.61 publishing imprint; and Kerouac biographer Gerald Nicosia, a staunch supporter of the work of Kerouac's daughter Jan. The panel discussion of the Kerouac effect continues through the evening, which promises to be as vibrant and spontaneous as the writing for which he is so deathlessly celebrated lo, these many moons later. Beyond Baroque, 681 Venice Blvd., Venice; Sun., Mar. 11, 4 p.m., $7 $5 seniors & children. (310) 822-3006, beyondbaroque.org

Sun., March 11, 2012

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