Happy Memorial Day weekend! Are you doing anything fun?? Grilling out on the patio? Reading The Haunted Life? Reading Burning Furiously Beautiful? Hitting the beach? Spending time with the family? Taking a road trip??
Whatever you do, I hope it’s just what you want it to be!
Here’s my Memorial Day post from last year, in which I asked if the Beat Generation writers were anti-American, and here’s the one from the year before in which I explore Jack Kerouac’s time in the Merchant Marines.
Picture via Across an Underwood / Sketches on Kerouac
Jack Kerouac was in the Merchant Marines during World War II. You can read about his time on the S.S. Dorchester, which ultimately was torpedoed, here.
Kerouac made it out alive, but two of his Greek American friends from Lowell did not: Johnny Koumentzelis and Sebastian Sampas.
Today we remember all of those who selflessly gave of themselves to make our world a better place, and we think of the many families who lost loved ones.
Stephanie Nikolopoulos is a writer, editor, writing teacher, and speaker based in New York City.
She is the author with Paul Maher Jr. of "Burning Furiously Beautiful: The True Story of Jack Kerouac's 'On the Road.'"
She's also currently working on a memoir about growing up Greek American.
You can email her at stephanie_701 {@} yahoo.com
