Karl Pohrt died Wednesday, July 10, 2013, after a battle with anaplastic thyroid cancer. He wrote about books and life on his weblog "there is no gap". Karl was the owner of the Shaman Drum Bookshop, an independent bookstore on Ann Arbor's State Street which closed in 2009 after a 29 year run.
Some obituaries from the net:
Publisher's Weekly: "Karl Pohrt was a true bookman: a bookseller, compulsive reader, and a publisher as well. He had a very strong sense of the material and spiritual value of the reading experience. He was a man with a mission and an unshakeable devotion to the idea that books could transform human beings and the world for the better," said Bruce Joshua Miller of Miller Trade Marketing in Chicago.
Media Bistro: "I will never forget the hours and hours I spent in his bookshop as a college student, discovering some of the most important books of my lifetime." Jason Boog
Open Letter: "I’ll never forget all of the visits to Shaman Drum in Ann Arbor, which was one of the greatest independent bookstores ever. And Karl was one of the greatest managers ever. He assembled an amazing crew of employees, and did more for literature in Ann Arbor than the massive (also now defunct) competitor down the road . . ." Chad Post
Shelf Awareness: Mary Bisbee-Beek, who knew Karl when she lived in Ann Arbor, remembered: "Karl told great stories and loved really off-beat movies. He loved to travel and he adored his two daughters, Tanya and Tasha. Family meant the world to him and community…if you were in Karl's world he was unstintingly loyal. If he loved a book, he'd make sure everyone knew about it. I loved to talk to him about books and always felt on top of the world when I presented him with something that he connected with–it was like a good luck charm for the book and the author!"
A memorial service will be held for Pohrt on Sunday, July 14, at 2 p.m. at the Episcopal Church of the Incarnation, 3257 Lohr Road, Ann Arbor. The family requests that donations be made to the church or to the Children’s Literacy Network.
Edward Vielmetti's Wordpress weblog 