Gerald Locklin (1941-2021) was born in Rochester, NY. A prolific writer of both poetry and prose, he published over a hundred books in his lifetime, including The Firebird Poems (Event Horizon Press), Go West, Young Toad (Water Row Books), Charles Bukowski: A Sure Bet (Water Row Books), and Down and Out (Event Horizon Press). The Oxford Companion to Twentieth Century Literature in the English Language calls him "a central figure in the vitality of Los Angeles writing." From 1965-2007, he was professor of English at California State University, Long Beach. He lived in Long Beach, CA.