Silver, Sam; Meltzer, David

Original Photograph: David Meltzer at First San Francisco Poetry Festival (1976)

San Francisco, CA: Sam Silver, 1976. Original Photograph. Single Sheet. “The original core group of those who came up with the idea and began to act on it were [Lawrence] Ferlinghetti (1919-2021), [Neeli] Cherkovski (1945-2024), Peter LeBlanc (b. 1930) and myself. Over time others became part of the organizing dynamic in one way or another…Neeli was the bullhorn, the provocateur, for the event—talking up the idea and later doing PR work by just enthusiastically talking with people one to one about it. LeBlanc volunteered to create a large poster for the event, which was pasted all over the Bay area. This wonderful large poster is now a collector’s item. Lawrence was sort of the figurehead for the festival by being its “editor” during the process of creating a list of headliners. I was the nuts-&-bolts man. The workhorse doing the daily business of setting things in motion, making schedules, contacting poets, bringing necessary assistants onboard, etc. I was also the “businessman” of the group…along with John Ming Lee…Lawrence felt that San Francisco needed a major festival to put it on the international map and that the timing was right, as we had more or less proven from the overflow attendance to all our previous events…Was it a success? Most definitely…The Veterans’ Auditorium held upward of 3,000 people. On the first night we filled the auditorium to capacity. On the next night, we not only filled it to capacity but had people standing in the isles and in the foyer and up on the stage, breaking the fire code with staff at the venue calling the backstage phone, threatening to call the marshals and close down the event. Luckily, this never happened…We made a lot of money and were able to pay the poets a nice stipend, raise money for Beatitude Press, and also leave a little in the bank for future ideas and events” (from The Thomas Rain Crowe Archive, p. 72). An original photographic print (measuring appx. 8 x 10” including margins) featuring the great American poet, David Meltzer (1937-2016) at the First Annual San Francisco Poetry Festival. Meltzer is perhaps best known to Beat readers as the youngest contributor featured in Don Allen’s seminal anthology of 1960, The New American Poetry, 1945-1960, which was published by Barney Rosset’s (1922-2012) Grove Press & went on to decisively shape the literature of the Mimeograph Revolution. Like TMB Item No. 7876, which features the great Beat poetess, Diane di Prima (1934-2020) at the First Annual SFPF, Meltzer’s presence at (and contributions to) the Festival can be seen as essentially legitimating: as proceeding with reference to his estimation of the movement’s vitality, & bona-fides. A faded blue copyright stamp is located at verso near top right-hand corner stating: “PHOTO COPYRIGHT | SAM SILVER | P.O. BOX 2001 | BERKELEY CALIF. 94702 | 415-848-0199 415-841-6500 | ONE TIME USE ONLY UNLESS | OTHERWISE SPECIFIED."A second notation — this time, in Crowe’s hand, and in in thin, blue pen ink — is present near the top left-hand corner of same: it reads, “David Meltzer / SF Poetry Fest. 1976.” In generally Near Fine condition with minute-to-mild edge-wear, some light bumping, & a few exhibits of mild-to-moderate staining & spotting variously present at glossy recto, & mostly along fine-edges; artifacts of similar enunciation, and type — most all of which also relate to coloration & the processes of age) present, variously at same; otherwise, clean. Near Fine. [Item #7878]

Price: $100.00