Writer Jack Kerouac was best known for his 1957 book On the Road, and the free spirited Beat was nobody’s family man. Jan Kerouac only met her father twice, and as an adult she struggled to understand him. In 1989 Jan heard an archival recording of Jack Kerouac giving a talk, and radio producer Marjorie Van Halteren asked her to write a poem in response to it. They recorded it one cold winter night in New York.
The story you just read is available for free because thousands of listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Every day, reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you: We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
Make a gift today, and you’ll get us one step closer to our goal of raising $25,000 by June 14. We need your help now more than ever!