Kerouac's "On The Road" Reaches Birmingham

It is a great pleasure to report the formal opening last night of the Kerouac "On the Road" exhibition at the Barber Institute at the University of Birmingham. The exhibition features Kerouac's 1951 scroll with the initial draft of the book but this complemented by an outstanding collection of archival material, objects associated with Kerouac, and an interactive display of Kerouac's journal.

Congratulations to my colleague, Professor Dick Ellis, who spent months organising and curating the exhibition and to the staff of the Barber, one of the finest art galleries I have ever visited.

The Guardian has a short article on Kerouac and the Barber, and the BBC Radio 4 news programme Today interviewed Dick Ellis about the exhibition.

The exhibition runs until 28 January 2009.