In January 2003, our SoCal Museletter correspondent Larry Jaffe passed on the sad news of William McLain’s passing. He called himself a “dirty old man,” but he was really a gentleman & a writer of romantic lyrics. He was the owner of “truth,” “beauty” & “sex” in Bowerbird Intelligentleman’s Wordsworth project, attended the North American Poetry JAM as the oldest performance poet of all, and was an enduring icon in the lively SoCal perf po scene.
Soon after his death, we heard from Kennon B. Raines:
“He would have been 92 on the 29th of January. He was my standby escort everywhere for the last nine years and I was blessed by his friendship beyond measure. What an amazing man he was. What an incredible life he led. What an inspiration he was to all who had the good fortune to meet him. What a great example he set for how to live life. William was a Renaissance man of wisdom and kindness who could cook, garden, dance, write poetry and charm everyone within the sound of his voice. He will not soon be forgotten....”
And he has not been forgotten. The poets of Los Angeles got together for a William McLain memorial birthday party & reading, and we have gathered a few poems & recollections here, to share his poetic spirit with those who didn’t get a chance to meet & hear him in life.
- “William McLain, an inspiration,” by Kennon B. Raines
- “William McLain, in memoriam,” by Ben Porter Lewis
- “Sweet William,” a birthday poem written for McLain in 2001 by Kennon B. Raines
- “William McLain, Southern California’s oldest performance poet,” a profile written by G. Murray Thomas for OC Weekly
