All-poetry library proposed
By: Beth Winegarner
Examiner Staff Writer
December 28, 2008
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| On the beat: Kim Mahler seeks to create the International Poetry Library of San Francisco, modeled after New York’s Poets House and London’s Poetry Library. (Cindy Chew/The Examiner) |
San Francisco, often seen as a literary haven, could soon become home to the first all-poetry lending library on the West Coast — one with a decidedly modern twist.
The proposed International Poetry Library of San Francisco is the brainchild of Kim Mahler, modeled on New York’s Poets House and London’s Poetry Library. Along with a brick-and-mortar poetry center in The City, Mahler plans to launch a subscriber service similar to Netflix that would lend poetry volumes to writers and scholars nationwide.
Mahler is still in search of a location for her library — and has deputized some of her students at DeVry University, where she teaches, to analyze possible sites. She and other literary leaders in The City say once it opens, the facility could provide a much-needed complement to the public library.
“San Francisco is a great library town, but the poetry collections are not strong and not emphasized very well,” Mahler said. “There might be 20 volumes of the same Robert Frost book, but only one Robert Hass or Pablo Neruda.”
While most outlets must cater to the tastes of the masses, a library dedicated to poetry could carry small-press books and the archives of poets both known and obscure, according to Mahler.
“The public library has to meet all needs, and we collect as widely as we can,” said Deputy City Librarian Jill Bourne. “But a library like [Mahler’s] can fill a niche with lesser-known poets, and they can complement what we’re doing.”
San Francisco boasts a thriving community of poetry lovers who packed the Palace of Fine Arts for two days in 2007 for the International Poetry Festival, which returns in 2009, according to Bourne.
It’s also home to many famous poets, from City Lights founder Lawrence Ferlinghetti to Poet Laureate Jack Hirschman, who has thrown his support behind Mahler’s concept.
She’s even drawn interest at City Hall.
“We’re excited about the potential of having a poetry-based library in San Francisco,” said Mike Farrah, director of the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services.
Rather than operate as a nonprofit, Mahler said she hopes to operate the library and subscription service as a full-fledged business. She’ll spend the next year finessing her business plan before launching a fundraising campaign, and hopes to set up shop sometime in 2010.
The challenge will be making it a success, said Hut Landon, director of the Northern California Independent Booksellers Association.
“Poetry is a very challenging category, both for bookstores and libraries,” Landon said. “If she can pull it off, it’d be great — I don’t see any downside.”
