Feb 26, 20 the grolier poetry book shop in cambridge, massachusetts, is both a misnomer and an anomaly. Poetry is honored every day at the grolier poetry book shop in harvard square, the oldest continuous poetry book shop in the united states. The grolier is the nations oldest all poetry bookstore offering inprint poetry books and poetry related merchandise. Welcome to grolier poetry bookshop poetry is honored every day at the grolier poetry book shop in harvard square, the oldest continuous poetry book shop in the united states. Poets dick flavin, regie gibson, charles coe, danielle legros georges, martha collins, tomas oleary and cd collins, plus live music. A documentary of a one room bookshop, which has been in existence for 90 years. It would be easy to miss the grolier poetry book shop, located on a little side street near the much larger harvard book store.
The grolier, which celebrates its 90th anniversary this year, is the longest operating poetryonly bookshop in the country, and the storied space has been a gathering spot for some of poetrys. Grolier poetry book shop cambridge 2020 all you need. It is a space for the new england poetry club, who recently cosponsored a talk on the state and use of poetry with steph burt and dean rader, with a conversation moderated by menkiti, the ownerandpoet himself. Jul 31, 2014 grolier poetry book shop down a side street from the harvard book store, the tiny grolier has been catering to the voracious appetites of cambridges poetry lovers for more than 80 years.
See more ideas about poetry books, modern poetry and poetry. The poets read for about 20 minutes and then we have a question and answer period followed by a book signing and reception. Poetry is honored every day at the grolier poetry book shop in harvard square, the oldest continuous poetry book shop. Solanos knowledge of poetry was well known in the cambridge and. Grolier poetry book shop 6 plympton street, 617 5474648. If only the grolier poetry book shop in cambridge, mass.
Although founded as a finearts bookstore, its focus today is solely poetry. Since 1927 the store has helped spread the love of poetry both classic and modern, incredibly. Harvard book store holds a shakespeare sale, in honor of shakespeares birthday and the bookish ball. Feb 21, 2017 grolier poetry bookshop the grolier winter series 2017 the grolier poetry book shop the grolier is an independent bookstore on plympton street near harvard square in cambridge, massachusetts. In 2008, grolier poetry book shop became the first book store to carry circumstantial productions first editions. Today, grolier is the oldest continuous poetry book shop in the united states, and stocks over 15,000 current volumes of trade, small press, and university publications as well as books related to prosody, poetry markets, and spoken word cds. The book store is a small space which can hold about 35 people. Grolier poetry bookshop, established in 1927, claims to be the oldest continuous poetry book shop in the united states. You can also browse in an atmosphere that truly celebrates the art of poetry. The store hosts regular readings, author events, book signings, and more. This small book store is nestled in harvard square behind the harvard book store and is said to be the oldest continuous poetry book store in the united states. Solano was unable to support the store with her own money and turned it into a selfsustaining business. We stock over 15,000 current volumes of trade, small press, and university publications as well as books related to prosody, poetry markets, and spoken word cds.
Poets dick flavin, regie gibson, charles coe, danielle legros georges, martha collins. For over 80 years, grolier has been a legendary meeting place for worldrenown poets like adrienne rich, e. Ifeanyi menkiti, owner of the 92 yearold grolier poetry bookshop in cambridge, mass. Grolier poetry book shop 6 plympton st, cambridge, ma 028. Last sacred place of poetry honors grolier, fragile. Under the new ownership, the grolier will continue to advance the cause of poetry, expanding on the foundation laid by the previous owners. Or, use the form below to search the inventory of all booksellers who specialize in poetry. In 1979, when louisa solano purchased the grolier from gordon cairnie, she removed all secondhand titles, magazines, and nonpoetry related prose, and added poetry book shop to the name. She also introduced the concept of autographreading parties. The store was the first in new england to stock language magazine, the periodical that launched the avantgarde language poetry movement. Grolier poetry book shop is the premier place in the boston area to find newly released books of poetry as well as obscure and famous poets. Foundation events grolier poetry book shop front page.
The grolier is a place where conversations about poetry thrive, where all lovers of the craft still mingle. Sep 22, 2016 the grolier poetry book shop the grolier is an independent bookstore on plympton street near harvard square in cambridge, massachusetts, united states. The grolier is where poetry still lives, still talks, still makes the only sense that ever matters robert creeley. We stock current publications of poetry and its concerns books, cassettes, periodicals, reference volumes with some 16000 volumes. Poetry, we believe, has a lot to offer if only readers can learn to tap its powers by allowing themselves an openness to receive the gifts of its miraculous hand.
Ru fang this store as a cultural place belongs to all of us, said menkiti, a somerville resident and wellesley college poet and professor of african descent who bought the grolier in 2006 to save it from closing. Club penguin game exists in a virtual world during the winter season where kids can select their avatar in various forms from cartoon to one of their online personalities. Oct 08, 2016 grolier poetry book shop is the premier place in the boston area to find newly released books of poetry as well as obscure and famous poets. Grolier poetry book shop knowledge through reading. If the walls lining the grolier poetry shop, a small room on plympton street in cambridge, massachusetts, could speak, it would tell tales of some of the most celebrated 20th century american literary figures. Lynn emanuel reading grolier poetry bookshop youtube. Film tribute to ifeanyi menkiti, poet, teacher, and owner of the grolier poetry book store. The grolier is the nations oldest allpoetry bookstore offering inprint poetry books and poetryrelated merchandise. We stock current publications of poetry and its concerns books, cassettes, periodicals. Menkiti plans to maintain the store s poetryonly focus while broadening its coverage of overseas poets. Grolier poetry book shop cambridge 2020 all you need to.
Grolier poetry bookshop the grolier winter series 2017 the grolier poetry book shop the grolier is an independent bookstore on plympton street near harvard square in cambridge, massachusetts. In cambridge a store that sells nothing but poetry seems indispensable. It has long dedicated itself to the task of promoting the reading and writing of poetry and has, for eightyfive years, served as a niche for poets the world over. The store specializes in books of verse, publications produced by. The grolier poetry book shop in harvard square, the oldest poetry book store in the united states, is about to change hands for the second time in eight decades, publishers weekly reported. As the audiences increased, the poets moved from inside the store to the stairs. The grolier poetry book shop in cambridge, massachusetts, is both a misnomer and an anomaly. Red line to harvard phone 6175474648 web site grolier poetry book shop in business since 1927, this tiny shop holds an incredible 15,000 volumes as well as a nice selection of spokenword albums. The grolier poetry book shop celebrates its 90th anniversary this year.
Down a side street from the harvard book store, the tiny grolier has been catering to the voracious appetites of cambridges poetry lovers for more than 80 years. The grolier poetry bookshop is the oldest continuous bookshop devoted solely to the sale of poetry and poetry criticism, was founded in 1927 by adrian gambet and gordon cairnie. Ifeanyi menkiti, a poet and wellesley college professor, took. Grolier poetry book shop cambridge office of tourism. Grolier poetry book shop, 6 plympton st, cambridge, ma 2020. The grolier poetry book shop is the oldest all poetry book shop in the nation. Jun 22, 2012 if only the grolier poetry book shop in cambridge, mass.
But if you love poetry, you should make a special effort to visit grolier. Grolier poetry book shop faced similar uncertainties in 2006 when thenowner louisa solano, close to bankruptcy, decided to sell the historic store. Founded in 1927 by adrian gambet and gordon cairnie, the original grolier book shop stocked mainly private press books, some poetry, and a sampling of. Because poetry is the cutting edge of language and a singular force in probing human experience, the grolier remains essential to american life. Out for a chat with groliers poetphilosopher magazine. Use the list below to locate a specific specialist bookseller or book store near you. Weiying olivia huang films at the grolier poetry book shop in harvard square with the help of mengyua lin. The genrefocused bookshop was founded in 1927 and remains, in the words of current owner ifeanyi menkiti, a little shrine to american poetry, having attracted the likes of t. By thus promoting the written and spoken art of poetry, the grolier poetry book shop hopes to remain a key and vibrant player in creating a nourishing environment for the works of poets.
She found innovative ways to promote poetry in the cambridge community. Grolier poetry book shop hotel veritas in harvard square. Best boston bookstores for used and new books and textbooks. About a year ago or so, i was browsing at the local bookstore in my town, which is more of a coffee bar with books, but i try to. While its reputation has bloomed over the years, thanks largely. Although founded as a first edition bookstore, its focus today is solely poetry. From harvard poets like john ashbery, frank ohara, and robert creeley, to the poet conrad aiken who lived upstairs, to visitors like denise levertov, marianne moore, adrienne rich, t. Grolier poetry book shop cambridge 2020 all you need to know. Grolier is listed as a poetry landmark by the academy of american poets. May 09, 2018 if poetry is your thing, bostons grolier poetry bookshop is the only place youll ever want to be. To passersby, grolier poetry book store on plympton street might look like an intriguing but practically irrelevant building, a place that could exist only near harvard. News of his death was announced on the bookstores website. The grolier poetry book shop the grolier is an independent bookstore on plympton street near harvard square in cambridge, massachusetts, united states. Grolier poetry book shop 6 plympton st cambridge ma 028.
Grolier poetry book shop 6 plympton st cambridge, ma book. The store hosts regular readings, author events, book signings, and. This same year saw the cosponsorship of the grolier poetry prize with the blacksmith house poetry reading series. Sep 08, 2019 yesterday, en route to meet my friends at book club, i stopped for a short visit at the grolier poetry bookshop in harvard square in cambridge. They select a house for their penguin which is an igloo. The storied grolier poetry book shop in harvard square is banking on a little more help from its friends for its longterm survival. Jun 8, 2018 the grolier poetry book shop is a place to come for events, and for all of your poetry books. When youre finished there it will take all day, walk down plympton street to grolier poetry book shop. For us, as for so many poets, the grolier has been a vital location, and, for nearly a hundred years, a temple to poetry and the most historically important bookstore of its kind. The grolier poetry book store has a long and rich history of hosting award winning international, national and local poets and critics. Oct 08, 2016 it would be easy to miss the grolier poetry book shop, located on a little side street near the much larger harvard book store.
The store is wellstocked with poetry volumes from around the world, and. Harvard book store 1256 massachusetts avenue, 617 6611515. Grolier poetry book shop will be offering 20% off their tote bags. The oldest poetry book store in america this harvard square institution, opened in 1927, is the oldest poetry book store in america. Grolier poetry book shop in boston shopping frommers. Aug 16, 2018 the grolier, which celebrates its 90th anniversary this year, is the longest operating poetryonly bookshop in the country, and the storied space has been a gathering spot for some of poetrys. It will earnestly work to develop and further interest in poetry among a wider more diversified audience, and will remain a facilitator of poets works through the sale of poetry books and the organization of poetry events. The store is wellstocked with poetry volumes from around the world, and poets often stop by to drop off their latest work or just chat with. Grolier poetry book shop in cambridge, ma 028 citysearch. Founded in 1927 by adrian gambet and gordon cairnie, the original shop stocked mainly private press books, some poetry, and a sampling of avantgarde. It is a legendary literary place that the world must encounter. Grolier poetry bookshop, cambridge, ma, us a short visit.
562 904 457 921 528 534 393 31 1311 1576 984 811 794 1172 919 79 836 1 1301 49 1057 1388 1185 1466 1600 1519 771 921 1256 885 372 746 971 916 940 371 309 53 216