There are the poets, and there are publishers (and the book designers and cover artists here clumped together0 and there are those who write about them - like me - and then there is a 4th pillar, one that I really hadn't considered seriously until today.
I received a 38 book lot from a seller who lives outside of San Francisco. Of course sellers and buyers are part of the vast exchange or as I sometimes call it, "the flow". But separate from the buyers and sellers who keep the flow moving are the collectors. Yes, the person who attends the poetry readings and books launches and gets copies signed, and interact with the poets. Without them, well there would be none of this without them.
Which leads me back to this 38 book lot I just received from someone in California. As much as I have thanked the seller for having this lot of books that I could get, the seller scored this collection from the same individual or that person's family. Nearly every book that was in the lot was inscribed to 'Rudy Jay Tanner'. In on of the books Mr. Tanner self-identifies himself by writing his name and Berkeley, CA on the inside front cover. He felt the need to let some future person know that he existed and that at least that one book was one that he had gotten. But all 38 of these were books that he had gotten.
Several of the books were by SF-based poets but some of them were by poets who have become known beyond the Golden Gate Bridge. Like Neeli Cherkovski, David Lerner, Howard Hart, and Ralph LaCharity.
People who might not have even considered themselves to be "collectors" but poetry appreciators. Yet, they are the one who showed up. Bought the copies. Got the books signed. And most importantly SAVED them for pushing 50 years (in some cases)
I see you, Rudy Jay Tanner. And I appreciate you.
