David is a superb musician, a popular singer-songwriter in the Eugene, Oregon area. He plays solo in the Eugene, Oregon area, and with his band Watermelon Sugar.

He recalls Jan's feelings about her father: "I think that she wanted to like him, that there was definitely some resentment there from being abandoned and not having a close relationship. Even though, unlike my father, he had not died when she was young and could have been there. And I think she saw a lot of similarities between herself and Jack and built on those. Not for media interest but because it was really there, she could feel it. The same wanderlust, she felt a connection with him in her travelling. And she really sought to understand him even though he had abandoned her. She kept an open mind about his circumstances, about him as a person, what his character was like."

"Jan had a gift for wordplay. She kept volumes of her dreams. She would wake up and write them down right away. People were kind of in awe of her, the way she would move effortlessly from one situation to another. In two months she would have as many adventures as most people have in ten years. She also made women feel jealous and insecure."

"But I have good memories of her, like when we made a volcano out of mud and flour, with sections of hose and lots of flour in the bottom, then exploding it and taking pictures. And dumpster diving, finding goodies that other people had thrown out, a lot of prime things. And in Ellensburg once we made fudge and then molded it into the shape of dog turds, went round the block, came back when there were some people around, went 'oh, dogshit!', picked it up and ate it. She was a great person, a fun person, to be with."

Maxine, David and Miles Bowers have a business in Kids' clothes. You can find them at: http://www.pookytown.com/

David Bowers is Jan Kerouac's half brother.

They share the same mother, Joan Haverty, who was Jack Kerouac's second wife. David's memories of Jan are strongest during the period when the family lived in Kittetas, Washington. Jan was always disappearing on her adventures to Mexico, South America, and returning with fantastic stories, exotic presents and new writings and drawings.

Jan and Joan in NYC

Jan school photo

Teenage Jan