The other day I was writing up a piece about the 50th anniversary of Kerouac's "On The Road" being published and his relationship with his hometown, Lowell, Massachusetts.  I've never been to Lowell, and honestly, I've never heard anything good about the city, but I'm totally pumped because it looks like I'll be going down for the 20th annual Lowell Celebrates Kerouac! Festival.

A variety of events are planned: a beat literature conference, films, and music, all of which sound fun.  But I'm also hoping that with it being both the 50th anniversary of "On The Road" and the 20th annual festival that the events will add up to a bit more than what's outlined in the itinerary.  I suppose I'm assuming that with an author and novel that have inspired such a variety of writers, artists, and travelers across several generations, there are sure to be some colorful characters at a festival in his honor, right?