What a truly awesome story! This is what Westword should be about -- this article makes it interesting to live here, uncovering little-known bits about the city. It is actually kind of a relief from some of the more titillating (with the emphasis on "tit") stories that often appear in Westword.
Katherine Cornwell
Denver
I'm a second-generation native, enjoy reading books -- especially ones set in Colorado -- and have read most of the ones from which Amy Haimerl took excerpts. Her article introduced me to some that I haven't read, and I look forward to tracking them down. Great concept for an article built around the Kerouac exhibit! Rodger Hara
Denver I liked your literary Denver piece, especially your sendup of Kerouac's style, even if On the Road wasn't much of a novel. As for the map, though, how could you possibly have left out Alan Swallow and John Williams? There are others, but those are especially egregious.
David Milofsky
Denver
Amy Haimerl responds: The Literary Map of Denver in last week's paper was not intended as the definitive word on what authors have said about our city; as noted in the introduction, it was a sampling of more than seventy quotes that you can now find online, at www.westword.com/php/map/ index.html. But even that web version is a work in progress; I've already been alerted to several quotes I missed -- which will soon be added to the map. If you have more, send them to amy.haimerl@westword.com.
"The Devil and Mr. Jones," Letters, January 4
Judging from the grouchy letters in the last issue, everyone in Denver has cabin fever. When they're not busy policing grammar, they're tsk-tsking that "journalistic slut" Patricia Calhoun.
All you tight-assed puritans should go chill out in a snowbank. I appreciated the hot cover photo of Mike Jones, the perfect poster boy for 2006.
Jamie McReynolds
Denver
"Coming Back at You," Letters, January 4
Just a little heads-up for letter-writer Jef Otte: The infinitive form of a Spanish verb may also be used as a gerund (i.e., a verbal noun), even unto modifying it, if one chooses, with a definite article as in "el volver" to mean "the returning." I can diagram it for you if you like. Mr. Almo-dóvar knows what he's doing.
Now, apologize to the nice lady.
S. Williams
Lakewood
"Bland Ambition," Letters, January 4
Regarding sending Jason Sheehan to Pizza Hut: If we just wanted menus, prices and locations, we would turn to the big two or goofy radio shows. When we want food, fun and alternative entertainment, we go to Jason.
Once again, keep it up -- and, oh, could you make it twice a week?
Scott Curtis
Westminster
"Holiday Survival Tips for Illegal Immigrants," Kenny Be, December 21
Kenny Esta (you wouldn't rate an Es), regarding your rip of the illegal aliens, bravo. Lots of things were funny that week, like the metropolis buried in two feet of snow and all that shoveling and the homeless at the airport, but you picked the hilarious situation of Mexican workers being incarcerated and their families being separated and impoverished with no way to locate each other at Christmas. Ha, ha.
Why not strike out on this racist theme and do some Holocaust ho-hos or some funny stuff on blacks stealing bread and being too stupid to leave a sinking New Orleans or the starving in Darfur? That's hilarious. Or here's one: How about the rich people who hate listening to Spanish staying late to clean their own office buildings, stopping off at Taco Bell and making their own burritos, getting up early to do their own landscaping, shovel their own walks and scrub their own toilets?
But that would not be too funny.
Jan Karol
Westminster
