I returned to the Kerouac house with my wife for a farewell reading by resident artist Michael Hawley. Upon walking in, we were warmly welcomed by a lighthearted woman named Summer. She introduced us to Kim, the VP of the Kerouac Project and then Mike the artist in residence. The warm inviting atmosphere made me feel right at home. Walking from room to room the house caused me to remember my childhood home in Dumont, NJ. For instance the lime green and white linoleum tiles in the back room are identical to the tiles I remember from the basement in my childhood home. The large double porcelain sink in the kitchen caused similar flashbacks probably recalled from old photos of my my mother giving me my first baths in a similar sink.
The reading itself was highly entertaining. Mike set a somewhat quirky dysfunctional family against the wonderful expanse of the Florida wilds. His descriptions of the sounds and assorted fauna were vivid and engaging. You could hear a pin drop in the room as the 20 to 30 people listened intently. Everyone laughed often and gasped in shock when the story took a violent and unexpected turn. I do not want to give away any of Michaels plot, suffice it to say if you spot Michael Hawleys work on your local bookstore shelf, you should pick it up, you will not regret it.
The evening left me feeling joy at having discovered an exciting intimate enclave of culture in the heart of Orlando. Everyone I talked to had an artistic spirit, Summer is herself a poet, Bob Kealing a local news anchor, has written a book on Kerouacs time in Florida and is working on other projects which unearth Central Floridas cultural history.
