From KCRW and KCRW.com, I'm Michael Silverblatt, and this is Bookworm.

Lawrence Ferlingetti was born in 1919, and he died just short of turning 102 years old.

I had the privilege of talking to him on the radio in 2012.

He was in his 90s already. He drove to the radio station. He came by himself. He was a direct, fascinating, informed speaker.

I don't know any other 93-year-olds, which was when I met him, who were as impressive.

Lawrence Ferlingetti was still a writer, still a bookstore owner, still a poet, and a wonderful person.

This show is dedicated to him, and we are doing this show with a woman named Maya Ip, who began earlier in her life as a personal assistant to Ferlingetti.

She worked at the City Lights bookstore, which Ferlingetti began in 1953.

She worked there with him from 2006 to 2013.

Maya, Ip, what was it like to meet Frulingetti? How old was he when you met him?

When I first met Lawrence, he was already in his 80s. But as you described, Michael, he was 100% independent, sharp, critical, funny. And he was soft-spoken. You know, he was modest. But when you got to know him, when I had the chance to get to know him, he was incredibly kind, always keeping up with what was new and interesting

in the world and wanting to talk about it. And it was a great privilege that I got to spend the

years that I did working with him. Yes, I found him that way too. I was there at KQED in San Francisco.

Lawrence was there, a very great Hungarian writer named Oshgo Krasnohrkaou, was with us,

as was Krasnohorkei's wife.

With me was my friend from poetry and fiction here in Los Angeles, Jim

Crusoe, who was teaching writing at that time at Santa Monica College, and whose favorite writer was Krashton

Horkai. We had such a good time during the interview that Lajlo and I, Jim Crusoe,

Lajl's wife, eagerly accepted the invitation to go to lunch at an Italian restaurant across the street from City Lights with Lawrence.

He was treated like visiting royalty. They kept bringing more dishes, different glasses of wine.

They were obviously honored to have him there.

And we had a great time.

...