William James can refer to: 1) A man who performs "punk rock performance poetry" (Official Site | Facebook | Store). 2) The American psychologist and philosopher. 1) A member of the Steel City Poetry Slam in Pittsburgh PA, as well as the underground music community, William mixes the ferocity and sledgehammer subtlety of punk rock with the refined art of the literary world. Whether it's with a snarl, or a grin, he is dedicated to bringing as much passion, sincerity, and intensity to his craft as a mere mortal can. 2) William James (January 11, 1842 – August 26, 1910) was a pioneering American psychologist and philosopher trained as a medical doctor. He wrote influential books on the young science of psychology, educational psychology, psychology of religious experience and mysticism, and the philosophy of pragmatism. He was the brother of novelist Henry James and of diarist Alice James. William James was born at the Astor House in New York City. He was the son of Henry James Sr., an independently wealthy and notoriously eccentric Swedenborgian theologian well acquainted with the literary and intellectual elites of his day. The intellectual brilliance of the James family milieu and the remarkable epistolary talents of several of its members have made them a subject of continuing interest to historians, biographers, and critics.