 In 1959, he published his first collection of poetry, "Watermelons" which contained an introduction by Allen Ginsberg and a prefatory letter by William Carlos Williams.He also co-edited the little magazine "Change" with Richard Brautigan.The poets who were most influential on his work included William Carlos Williams, Allen Ginsberg, Robert Duncan, Jack Spicer, Richard Brautigan, Philip Whalen, Gary Snyder, Charles Olson, Robert Creeley, Denise Levertov.