One of five poets who read at the famous Six Gallery reading in 1955 (along with Allen Ginsberg), McClure's works, along with those of Ginsberg, Gary Snyder, Philip Whalen and Lawrence Ferlinghetti are often associated with both the Beat Generation and the later San Francisco poerty movement.

An odd footnote to his long poetic career is his co-authorship (with B. Neuwerth) of the playground-rhyme-like popular song, Mercedes-Benz for Janis Joplin.

McClure collaborative performances with Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek fuse spoken word poetry and improvised jazz piano.

Bibliography

• Passage (1956)
• For Artaud (1959)
• Hymns to St. Geryon and Other Poems (1959)
• The New Book/A Book of Torture (1961)
• Dark Brown (1961)
• Meat Science Essays (1963)
• The Blossom; or Billy the Kid (1964)
• The Beard (1965)
• Poisoned Wheat (1965)
• Unto Caesar (1965)
• Love Lion Book (1966)
• The Sermons of Jean Harlow and the Curses of Billy the Kid (1968)
• Hail Thee Who Play (1968)
• Muscled Apple Swift (1968)
• Little Odes and The Raptors (1969)
• Star (1970)
• The Mad Cub (1970)
• The Adept (1971)
• The Mammals - includes The Feast, The Blossom; or, Billy the Kid, and Pillow (1972)
• The Book of Joanna (1973)
• Solstice Blossom (1973)
• Rare Angel (1974)
• A Fist-Full (1956-57) (1974)
• Fleas 189-195 (1974)
• September Blackberries (1974)
• Jaguar Skies (1975)
• Gorf; or, Gorf and the Blind Dyke (1976)
• Antechamber (1977)
• The Grabbing of the Fairy (1978)
• Josephine The Mouse Singer (1980)
• Scratching the Beat Surface (1982)
• Fragments of Perseus (1983)
• The Beard and Vktms: Two Plays (1985)
• Selected Poems (1986)