An article that I’ve written is being published in the upcoming Wake issue #5 this Wednesday about the writing of Jack Kerouac and the Beat Generation. I thought I’d preface it before it came out.

Even if you aren’t a reader, even if you are one of those kids who kept on reading Matt Christopher books and Goosebumps in the sixth or seventh grade, you can read. You. Can. Read. Read whatever you want. Don’t be intimidated by those pretentious college fucks out there who talk about Infinite Jest or Proust or whatever like they’re in this Elite Club of Readers and if you haven’t, you’re not intelligent. Just read. Read whatever you want. And when you read my article, don’t be intimidated by the names that are in it, like Burroughs or Ginsberg or Kerouac. The literature of the Beat Generation was written for kids like me and you, kids that are just living and trying not to get all caught up in this snobby, competitive shit. Don’t be afraid. Just read it. Go ahead. Maybe start with On the Road.

If you’ve got the time, read this article by John Clellon Holmes written in 1952. Click on the link. It’s inspiring. And read. Because you can.

This Is the Beat Generation