The Grolier Poetry Book Shop ("the Grolier") is an independent bookstore on Plympton Street near Harvard Square in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. Although founded as a "first edition" bookstore, its focus today is solely

poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...

. A small (), one-room store with towering bookcases, it claims to be the "oldest continuous bookshop" devoted solely to the sale of poetry and poetry criticism. Over the years, the Grolier became a focus of poetic activity in the Cambridge area, which had become a magnet for American poets because of the influence of

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

. Poets such as John Ashbery,

Robert Bly Robert Elwood Bly (December 23, 1926 – November 21, 2021) was an American poet, essayist, activist and leader of the mythopoetic men's movement. His best-known prose book is '' Iron John: A Book About Men'' (1990), which spent 62 weeks on ' ...

Robert Creeley Robert White Creeley (May 21, 1926 – March 30, 2005) was an American poet and author of more than sixty books. He is usually associated with the Black Mountain poets, though his verse aesthetic diverged from that school. He was close with Char ...

Donald Hall Donald Andrew Hall Jr. (September 20, 1928 – June 23, 2018) was an American poet, writer, editor and literary critic. He was the author of over 50 books across several genres from children's literature, biography, memoir, essays, and includin ...

, and

Frank O'Hara Francis Russell "Frank" O'Hara (March 27, 1926 – July 25, 1966) was an American writer, poet, and art critic. A curator at the Museum of Modern Art, O'Hara became prominent in New York City's art world. O'Hara is regarded as a leading figure i ...

were regulars at the store during their time as undergraduates at Harvard; the poet

Conrad Aiken Conrad Potter Aiken (August 5, 1889 – August 17, 1973) was an American writer and poet, honored with a Pulitzer Prize and a National Book Award, and was United States Poet Laureate from 1950 to 1952. His published works include poetry, short ...

lived upstairs from the store in its early days. Numerous other poets and writers, including

Russell Banks Russell Banks (born March 28, 1940) is an American writer of fiction and poetry. As a novelist, Banks is best known for his "detailed accounts of domestic strife and the daily struggles of ordinary often-marginalized characters". His stories usua ...

Frank Bidart Frank Bidart (born May 27, 1939) is an American academic and poet, and a winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. Biography Bidart is a native of California and considered a career in acting or directing when he was young. In 1957, he began to s ...

, William Corbett,

E. E. Cummings Edward Estlin Cummings, who was also known as E. E. Cummings, e. e. cummings and e e cummings (October 14, 1894 - September 3, 1962), was an American poet, painter, essayist, author and playwright. He wrote approximately 2,900 poems, two autobi ...

, T. S. Eliot,

Lawrence Ferlinghetti Lawrence Monsanto Ferlinghetti (March 24, 1919 – February 22, 2021) was an American poet, painter, social activist, and co-founder of City Lights Booksellers & Publishers. The author of poetry, translations, fiction, theatre, art criticism, an ...

, David Ferry,

Allen Ginsberg Irwin Allen Ginsberg (; June 3, 1926 – April 5, 1997) was an American poet and writer. As a student at Columbia University in the 1940s, he began friendships with William S. Burroughs and Jack Kerouac, forming the core of the Beat Gener ...

Denise Levertov Priscilla Denise Levertov (24 October 1923 – 20 December 1997) was a British-born naturalised American poet. She was a recipient of the Lannan Literary Award for Poetry. Early life and influences Levertov was born and grew up in Ilford, Ess ...

Marianne Moore Marianne Craig Moore (November 15, 1887 – February 5, 1972) was an American modernist poet, critic, translator, and editor. Her poetry is noted for formal innovation, precise diction, irony, and wit. Early life Moore was born in Kirkwood ...

Charles Olson Charles Olson (27 December 1910 – 10 January 1970) was a second generation modern American poet who was a link between earlier figures such as Ezra Pound and William Carlos Williams and the New American poets, which includes the New York ...

Robert Pinsky Robert Pinsky (born October 20, 1940) is an American poet, essayist, literary critic, and translator. From 1997 to 2000, he served as Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress. Pinsky is the author of nineteen books, most o ...

Adrienne Rich Adrienne Cecile Rich ( ; May 16, 1929 – March 27, 2012) was an American poet, essayist and feminist. She was called "one of the most widely read and influential poets of the second half of the 20th century", and was credited with bringing "the ...

Ruth Stone Ruth Stone (June 8, 1915 – November 19, 2011) was an award-winning American poet. Life and poetry Stone was born in Roanoke, Virginia and lived there until age 6, when her family moved back to her parents' hometown of Indianapolis, Indian ...

, James Tate and

Franz Wright Franz Wright (March 18, 1953 – May 14, 2015) was an American poet. He and his father James Wright are the only parent/child pair to have won the Pulitzer Prize in the same category. Life and career Wright was born in Vienna, Austria. He gradua ...

, have been noted as "friends of the Grolier."

History

The Grolier Book Shop was founded in September 1927 by Adrian Gambet and Gordon Cairnie. The subsequent owner, Louisa Solano purchased and took over its operation in 1974 after Cairnie's death. The poet-bookseller Arthur Freeman negotiated the sale. In 1990, the Grolier Book Shop became the Grolier Poetry Book Shop, Inc. for tax reasons. Financially comfortable, Gambet and Cairnie were able to run the business at a loss and were known to give away books and turn a blind eye to theft. Much of the activity at the Grolier under Cairnie's management was of the social kind. Under Solano's ownership, Grolier became a self-sustaining business with aims to expand the general public's interest in poetry and to honor the diversity of voices. The shop's initial means of support included appraisals and a mail order business, an annual undergraduate poetry reading with poets from fifteen colleges, and autograph parties, beginning in 1974 with featured poets such as

Gary Miranda Gary Miranda (born 1939 in Bremerton, Washington) is an American poet. Life Miranda was raised in the Pacific Northwest. He spent six years in a Jesuit seminary, then did graduate work at San Jose State College and the University of California ...

. In 1983, the Grolier Poetry Prize Annual was first published. Both readings and ANNUAL were now supported by the Ellen La Forge Memorial Poetry Foundation, formed in 1983 by Jeanne Henle in memory of her sister and inspired by Jim Henle, a friend of the shop. It also funded the costs of six poetry festivals. There was also a basketball and a baseball team organized by the poet Peter Payack. In its last years under Solano's management, the shop remained a source for rare or obscure titles. The store was the first in New England to stock ''Language Magazine'', the periodical that launched the

avant-garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...

L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E poetry movement. In 2002, a 75th anniversary celebration by the

Poetry Society of America The Poetry Society of America is a literary organization founded in 1910 by poets, editors, and artists. It is the oldest poetry organization in the United States. Past members of the society have included such renowned poets as Witter Bynner, Ro ...

drew a crowd of over 800 people. Grolier is listed as a "poetry landmark" by the

Academy of American Poets The Academy of American Poets is a national, member-supported organization that promotes poets and the art of poetry. The nonprofit organization was incorporated in the state of New York in 1934. It fosters the readership of poetry through outreach ...

. In 2004, Solano announced that, due to poor health and a decline in sales, the Grolier had to be sold. The causes of the shop's decline included the reach of the internet, inventory management, and the encroachment of chains. In March 2006, the store was sold to Nigerian poet

Ifeanyi Menkiti Ifeanyi Anthony Menkiti (24 August 1940 – 17 June 2019) was a Nigerian poet, philosopher, and professor, as well as the owner of the Grolier Poetry Book Shop in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Life and career Menkiti was born in Onitsha, Nige ...

, a professor at Wellesley College. In September 2012, the Grolier Poetry Book Shop celebrated its 85th anniversary, a celebration that continued until September 2013. Owner Menkiti also created the nonprofit Grolier Poetry Foundation to help support the store, as well as local poetry initiatives.Rosen, Judith
"Grolier Poetry Book Shop Goes Nonprofit Route: Owner Ifeanyi Menkiti tries new model to ensure store’s future,"
''Publishers Weekly'' (June 22, 2012).

Gallery

Gordon-cairnie-by-elsa-dorfman.jpg, Gordon Cairnie. Photo by

Elsa Dorfman Elsa Dorfman (April 26, 1937May 30, 2020) was an American portrait photographer. She worked in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and was known for her use of a large-format instant Polaroid camera. Early life and education Dorfman was born in Cambridg ...

. Louisa-solano.jpg, Louisa Solano, owner of the store from 1974 to 2006, and Pumpkin. Portrait taken in 1984 by

. Gail-mazur-and-gordon-cairnie-by-elsa-dorfman.jpg, Gail Mazur and Gordon Cairnie at Grolier in the 1960s. Robert-lowell-by-elsa-dorfman.jpg, Robert Lowell at Grolier in the 1960s. Lawrence-ferlinghetti-by-elsa-dorfman.jpg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti at Grolier in the 1960s, with Gordon Cairnie, the owner at the time. James-tate-and-gordon-cairnie-by-elsa-dorfman.jpg, James Tate and Gordon Cairnie at Grolier in the 1960s.

References

External links

* {{Coord, 42.37232, -71.11656, display=title Cambridge, Massachusetts Independent bookstores of the United States Bookstores in Massachusetts Tourist attractions in Cambridge, Massachusetts Harvard Square "Interview with Louisa Solano" owner of Grolier Poetry Book Shop with Doug Holder-- The Somerville Times https://www.thesomervilletimes.com/archives/60902