Poet · Lyricist · Artist
Pages from a creative life
A life in poetry.
A heart for
peace.
Welcome to the world of Stephen John Kalinich. Poet, lyricist, artist, and Stevie to his friends. A lifetime of journals, poems, music and a belief in the good we can do for one another.
From the pages of a handwritten poem
to the songs that stay with us.
01 / Notes on a life & its friendships
You may already
know his words.
Perhaps you first met Stevie through “Little Bird” or “Be Still”. Perhaps it was “Rainbows”, or Brian Wilson and Paul McCartney singing “A Friend Like You”. Behind those songs is a poet whose friendships and creative life have long been intertwined.
Raised in Binghamton, New York, Stevie became part of California’s creative world in the 1960s. His collaborations with Brian and Dennis Wilson brought his poetry into The Beach Boys’ musical family. That spirit of connection has carried him into new friendships, records, performances and art.
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Little Bird & Be Still
Words by Stevie, music by Dennis Wilson. Two songs on The Beach Boys’ Friends.
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A World of Peace Must Come
Created with Brian Wilson in 1969; finally released by Light in the Attic in 2008.
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Rainbows
A collaboration with Dennis and Carl Wilson, released on Dennis’s Pacific Ocean Blue.
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A Friend Like You
Stevie’s lyrics and Brian Wilson’s music, sung by Brian with Paul McCartney.
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The conversation continues
I Love My Life, new songs with Brian D’Addario, and a creative life still unfolding.
Before a song finds its melody,
there is a page.
A thought. A little possibility.
An original handwritten page of “Little Bird”.
Unfold the handwritten page ↗
Friendship first.
Speaking about Dennis Wilson, Stevie remembers a bond that went far beyond writing songs: shared conversations, trust, and the joy of hearing words find a melody.
02 / A world of peace
The world is big with possibilities
“I want to be an activist in the sense that you must act with kindness.”
STEVIE · IN CONVERSATION WITH KLEMEN BREZNIKAR, 2025
For Stevie, peace is a lifelong practice. It lives in the way we listen, the way we treat a stranger, and the choices we make when life asks something difficult of us.
His work makes room for stillness and gratitude alongside loneliness, ageing and the realities of the world. Hope asks us to stay open; and to act with compassion.
03 / Words you can hear
Still curious.
Still creating.
I Love My Life brings songs and spontaneous spoken word together in an intimate reflection on being alive. Made with Milo Binder and Willie Aron, it explores gratitude, change, healing and the world we share.
Stevie’s voice carries the experience of a long creative life; and the openness of someone who is still learning.
Brian Wilson · Poetry & sound
A World of Peace Must Come
The 1969 collaboration that waited almost forty years to reach listeners. A meeting of poetry, sound and a shared hope for peace.
New voices · Shared spirit
Across the generations
Stevie wrote the words to “Song of Everyone” and “What You Are Is Beautiful” on Brian D’Addario’s 2025 album Till the Morning.
Music · Poetry · Friendship
A circle of collaborators
From Dennis and Brian Wilson to David Courtney, P.F. Sloan, Jon Tiven, Richard Durrant and Peter Lacey: a life enriched by making things together.
With Brian Wilson · 1969 / 2008
A World of Peace Must Come
In August 1969, Stevie recorded his poems in Brian Wilson’s Los Angeles home, with Brian producing and adding music. The album then waited almost forty years, until Light in the Attic finally released it in 2008.
“His masterpiece.” Brian Wilson
04 / The living voice
A poem comes
into the room.
Watch Stevie share “The Tale of Man” on stage with Al Jardine and The Pet Sounds Band at The Soraya, Northridge, on 22 October 2026.
Words written to be heard, shared and carried away with you.
Stevie performs “The Tale of Man”
Now on the big screen
“Rainbows” in Project Hail Mary
Nearly fifty years after it first appeared on Dennis Wilson’s Pacific Ocean Blue, “Rainbows” found a whole new audience in 2026. The song features in Project Hail Mary, the Ryan Gosling film directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller.
Stevie wrote the lyric first. Dennis was inspired by it, then Carl helped shape the music. It is a song about being happy and being alive.
Written by Stephen Kalinich, Carl Wilson and Dennis Wilson.
On the Project Hail Mary soundtrack, 2026
05 / Pages from Stevie’s world
The story keeps unfolding.
From the blog
Stories & memories
There is always another page.
A poem to discover. A song to return to. A moment to pause.
Thank you for spending a little time in Stevie’s world.
More poetry & performances on YouTube →