Scott Wannberg

Scott Wannberg was a unique voice and a gifted writer, the gift being mostly for the rest of us, poets and friends of his. He was born in Santa Monica, California in 1953. A big man with an even bigger presence, he attended Venice High School and then went on to receive his Master's Degree in creative writing from San Francisco State in 1977. A "Carma Bum" from the beginning, Scott rode shotgun from 1989-2009. He was a poet's poet and a human's human who spent his life working as a sales clerk...See more

Scott Wannberg was a unique voice and a gifted writer, the gift being mostly for the rest of us, poets and friends of his. He was born in Santa Monica, California in 1953. A big man with an even bigger presence, he attended Venice High School and then went on to receive his Master's Degree in creative writing from San Francisco State in 1977. A "Carma Bum" from the beginning, Scott rode shotgun from 1989-2009. He was a poet's poet and a human's human who spent his life working as a sales clerk and book buyer for independent bookstores, most notably Dutton's Books in Brentwood, where he held court and worked the stacks for almost 25 years. His book, Nomads of Oblivion, made the Los Angeles Times bestseller list in 2000, and in the late 1990s, Los Angeles Magazine named him one of the "Top 100 Coolest People" in L.A. In August 2008, he relocated to Florence, Oregon, where he passed away too soon at the age of 58 in August 2011. Widely anthologized, his list of titles includes Mr. Mumps, The Electric Yes Indeed!, Nomads of Oblivion, Amnesia Hotel, Tomorrow Is Another Song and The Official Language of Yes. See less