Gerald Locklin

Gerald Ivan Locklin (1941-2021) was an American poet, fiction writer, and educator who taught English at California State University, Long Beach for 42 years (1965-2007). Known for his accessible, conversational style and wry humor, Locklin published over 3,000 poems, stories, reviews, and articles throughout his prolific career.

His work often celebrated everyday experiences and took aim at academic pretension and literary elitism. Locklin was a friend and contemporary of Charles Bukowski, about whom he wrote the memoir Charles Bukowski: A Sure Bet (1995). He served as poetry editor of Chiron Review and his first chapbook, Sunset Beach, was published in 1967.

After retiring from CSULB, Locklin taught at USC in the Masters of Professional Writing Program. His poetry appeared in numerous literary magazines and anthologies, including Garrison Keillor’s Good Poems (2002). Locklin died from COVID-19 complications on January 17, 2021, in Long Beach, California.

His legacy lives on in Southern California’s literary landscape, where he shaped generations of writers with his commitment to clear, honest writing that spoke directly to readers without academic affectation.