The recent passing of Eric Priestley, a poet and writer I knew in LA, went mostly unnoticed, but he too was another icon of mine for "Black History Month" (as any person categorized as Black ultimately should be). I didn't know him well, but we read a few times at the same events and were at a few of the same gatherings and he was always open and friendly. Best known for his book ABRACADABRA, he had an impact on many LA poets and writers and their work and will be missed by many. May he Rest In Poetry. And condolences to his family, friends, and fans.
I met Howard Hesseman in my LA days through his wife, the talented actor/director Caroline DuCrocq, and we became pals for a while, hanging out at their home and taking part (Caroline) in the weekly poetry readings I ran with Eve Brandstein called Poetry In Motion. Which was where Howard asked me to include an old actor friend of his last minute and I did, but when the actor ignored the format and time limitations and I angrily admonished him and he stormed out, Howard left too and never spoke to me again. I liked Howard a lot, he was a funny, sweet, generous person and I missed him after that and will continue to. My condolences to Caroline and his many friends and fans.
I remember Todd Gitlin from the 1960s, when he was an anti-war activist and we knew each other from afar for our activism and writing (but I couldn't find a photo of him from back then). I don't remember if we ever hung out in person, but we corresponded and he included poems of mine in his 1971 poetry anthology CAMPFIRES OF THE RESISTANCE: Poetry from The Movement, my first appearance in an anthology. I see from one of his obituaries that he lived in the town I just moved to. It would have been nice to have been able to hang out at long last. Ah life and its mysteries. Condolences to his family, friends, and fans.
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