Louis Richard Rowan, Jr. ( Former Faculty)

January 5, 1942 - March 27, 2025

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With sadness, we report the passing of Louis Richard Rowan, Jr.

Louis Richard Rowan, Jr., an innovative writer, editor, educator, and investment banker, passed away on March 27, 2025. Born in Los Angeles in 1942, Rowan was educated on the East Coast, earning a bachelor’s degree in history from Harvard University in 1964 and a master’s degree in English from New York University in 1969. He also pursued theological studies at Union Theological Seminary in New York. Rowan met his first wife, Stephanie Rauschenbusch, while attending Harvard. 

Rowan’s early career was in education, where he held teaching and leadership positions at the Manhattan School and Friends Seminary from 1968 to 1980. Rowan married his second wife, Jocelyn Blount, in 1980. He later transitioned to investment banking, working at Bankers Trust Company in New York and Frank Russell Company in Tacoma, Washington. 

Despite his success in these fields, Rowan’s true passion was literature. Influenced by the New York School, Louis Zukofsky, and the Black Mountain and Objectivist poets, he began writing in the 1960s and, in 2003, dedicated himself fully to his craft in the Pacific Northwest. His work, which spanned fiction, poetry, and critical essays, was often experimental, defying genre boundaries.

Beyond his own writing, Rowan was a committed literary editor. He guided the poetry journals Friendly Local Press from 1968 to 1971 and again from 1986 to 1989. Since 2002, he served as the editor of Golden Handcuffs Review, a journal known for its engagement with avant-garde and innovative literary traditions. In 2024, Rowan and his spouse, Andrea Auge, moved from Seattle to the south of France. 

Rowan leaves behind a legacy of intellectual curiosity, creative experimentation, and dedication to the literary arts. He will be remembered by his widow, the artist Andrea Auge, and his children: Quentin Rauschenbusch-Rowan of Eugene, Oregon; Yasunari Rowan of Brooklyn, NY; and Rachel Rowan-Duggan of Raleigh-Durham, NC. He will also be deeply missed by his colleagues, students, and readers who were influenced by his work.