Rather than edit this piece, as I'm not sure what effect that will have on the formatting of this essay, I will add here a quite interesting new discovery. I recently uncovered a letter from Ginsberg written in Sept 1955 that notes Natalie Jackson was present at the Friday-night salon at Rexroth's house where Ginsberg and Kerouac attended along with Snyder and Whalen. This was their first night hanging out together and was a very important moment in Beat history.
I wrote a one act play about Natalie's last night on Gough Street. A play based upon history, but embellished because I'm a poet, not a historian. It is still in print: Natalie's Story: a Raincheck for Jack Kerouac. I'm intrigued to see your scholarship points to some of the same conclusions I generated when drafting the play. And you uncovered details I hadn't seen--I didn't know her bathrobe was red. I have a copy of Jonah Raskin's pamphlet in my library. (He says he doesn't have any more on hand!) He wrote it a few years after I wrote my play, and he and I have bonded through our love of Natalie and our attempt to find out more, and keep her memory alive. I also corresponded with an art collector who owns LaVigne portraits and nudes of Natalie. Reach out to me if you'd like to communicate about her. Deborah C. Segal
Really well researched, it's curious that she is buried with her father in San Francisco even though her father died in 1945. Perhaps he came west earlier for war work and the family was already established in the SF area? Or was he re-interred to be with his daughters. Looks like her mother is buried in North Arlington NJ died in 1972.
Rather than edit this piece, as I'm not sure what effect that will have on the formatting of this essay, I will add here a quite interesting new discovery. I recently uncovered a letter from Ginsberg written in Sept 1955 that notes Natalie Jackson was present at the Friday-night salon at Rexroth's house where Ginsberg and Kerouac attended along with Snyder and Whalen. This was their first night hanging out together and was a very important moment in Beat history.
I couldn’t stop reading: well done. Thank you for writing it. It matters.
Thank you for letting the world know this woman existed. The story is worthwhile.
I wrote a one act play about Natalie's last night on Gough Street. A play based upon history, but embellished because I'm a poet, not a historian. It is still in print: Natalie's Story: a Raincheck for Jack Kerouac. I'm intrigued to see your scholarship points to some of the same conclusions I generated when drafting the play. And you uncovered details I hadn't seen--I didn't know her bathrobe was red. I have a copy of Jonah Raskin's pamphlet in my library. (He says he doesn't have any more on hand!) He wrote it a few years after I wrote my play, and he and I have bonded through our love of Natalie and our attempt to find out more, and keep her memory alive. I also corresponded with an art collector who owns LaVigne portraits and nudes of Natalie. Reach out to me if you'd like to communicate about her. Deborah C. Segal
That's great you got to meet the owner of the paintings. I was curious about those.
Phenomenal portrait! Thanks so much for all your time and effort and honesty and clarity . . . including in the prose.
It ain't easy to write breezy, and you whisked us along a long road faster than Neal drove.
Thanks Brian. It took a long time to research and write but it was rewarding. More essays like this coming in the near future.
Really well researched, it's curious that she is buried with her father in San Francisco even though her father died in 1945. Perhaps he came west earlier for war work and the family was already established in the SF area? Or was he re-interred to be with his daughters. Looks like her mother is buried in North Arlington NJ died in 1972.