Silver, Sam; Suntree, Philip

Original Photograph: Philip Daughtry (a/k/a Philip Suntree) at First San Francisco Poetry Festival (1976)

San Francisco, CA: Sam Silver, 1976. Original Photograph. Signed by photographer Sam Silver at Verso. “Philip actually studied with Galway Kinnell and Robert Bly before moving to the San Francisco Bay Area. He had many mentors who were influential. A very literary and intelligent person, he soaked up everything he could get his hands on. He lived in Berkeley during the 1970s but often came to San Francisco, and I used to go over to Berkeley frequently to see him and his family and to hang out with the “Street Poets” scene that was going on over there then. He was more interested in the Beat/Baby Beat scene in San Francisco and so joined forces with us in North Beach and became one of the rotating editors of Beatitude Magazine for Beatitude No. 26, which he co-edited with Ken Wainio. Eventually we became best friends and he was the one who introduced me to Gary Snyder and the Kuksu community up on the San Juan Ridge, which is where I ended up after leaving San Francisco. We have remained close friends ever since, and I published his collection of poems Celtic Blood: Selected Poems 1968-1994 (Cullowhee, NC: New Native Press, 1995). He was a major player to the Beatitude cadre and acted as MC for the 1st Annual San Francisco Poetry Festival. He has a poetic voice like no one else I know.”—Thomas Rain Crowe, Thomas Rain Crowe Archive, pg. 29. Offered today is the original photograph, Philip Suntree reads at the San Francisco Poetry Festival (1976), taken by Sam Silver. Captured in side profile is the great Second San Francisco Renaissance/Baby Beat Generation poet, Philip Suntree (a/k/a Philip Daughtry). Authoritative, comfortable, and projecting the image of a master poet or wizened old professor, Suntree is pictured here bearing all the marks of one of the most unique and important poets of his generation. Although very little information is available on Sam Silver, it's safe to assume that he was one of several photographer-friends Crowe had in his Ginsbergian Rolodex that he employed or invited to capture the Renaissance action. From the archive of Thomas Rain Crowe (b. 1949), the legendary American poet and co-authorial founder of the Second San Francisco Renaissance. For more information on the Thomas Rain Crowe archive (assembled & curated by Third Mind Books), see our book Starting From San Francisco: Thomas Rain Crowe in Conversation with Third Mind Books (item #3071) & the catalog for the Crowe archive (see item #1010), which contains several excerpts and quotations from the book as well as a full listing of the archive’s contents, which are now being offered for sale individually on the Third Mind Books site. Inscribed and signed by Sam Silver at verso near top right corner in thin blue ink: “Philip Daughtry (Suntree) / SF Poetry Fest. 1976,” then at bottom in pink ink “© (signed) Sam Silver / P.O. Box 2001 / Berkeley, Calif. / 94702.” Original photograph (approx 8” x 10” including margins). In relatively fine-to-very-fine condition with slight wear at fine edges, smudging to recto and verso, and slight spotting due to water damage at bottom and along right margin of recto. Fine-Very Fine. [Item #7922]

Price: $100.00