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| JESSICA JOHNSON / Daily
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By Cortney Dueweke
For the Daily
For a moment, close your eyes and imagine a scholar's literary utopia. Immaculate rooms with bookshelves that meet the ceiling crammed full of literature from end to end. Cushioned areas tucked into corners like miniature sofas where the bibliophile can browse selections before purchasing. A variety of music plays over the speakers - anything from Latin music to jazz - giving the bookstore a relaxing air. The store is hushed, yet vibrant. It has a life of its own.
Most students have probably already paid a visit to the Shaman Drum's textbook shop. Located one door down from Michigan Book and Supply and next to Caribou Coffee on South State Street, Shaman Drum is a popular place for professors of the humanities to place their course textbooks. But not everyone has visited the main bookshop itself, located on the lower level beneath the textbook area.
Shaman Drum sports two locations with a shop selling retail books just a below the second-story location well known by students.
Shaman Drum Bookstore was founded in 1980 by owner Karl Pohrt and specializes in carrying, Greek and Latin classics, anthropology and humanities works. Originally the store was located only on the second floor, but over the years it has expanded greatly, now encompassing two shop's worth of space on the lower level as well as the textbook department. It differs from the other bookstores on campus; unlike larger stores like Michigan Book and Supply and Ulrich's Bookstore, Shaman Drum is completely independent and carries more than just textbooks. Unlike Borders, which offers general interest books, Shaman Drum focuses on scholarly works. This makes the Drum, says Pohrt with a smile, "a bookshop with an attitude."
The most enigmatic part of Shaman Drum may very well be its name. The shaman was a religious, medicine man-like figure in hunting and gathering societies. There was a long tradition of using a drum in these societies' ceremonies; they were one of the first instruments used in such events and symbolized the heartbeat. In the shamanic ceremonies, the shaman would beat the drum to mark the transition between one state of consciousness and another.
"The name is a metaphor for what a bookstore should do: facilitate a change in consciousness," Pohrt explains.
All employees were quick to agree Shaman Drum is the best place in town to find the book you need. When asked why they were eager to praise their store for a number of different reasons.
"This bookstore makes a real effort to maintain stock of interesting titles for the community ... we think of ourselves as a community bookstore," says employee Jeff Jordan. Adds Shaman Drum book- shopper Marty Gosser, "It's a bookstore where we try to take our customers very seriously and respect them."
"When you buy a book at Shaman Drum, money is cycling back into the community in real interesting ways," says Pohrt.
Shaman Drum has the stamp of approval from more than just its workers. The bookshop has become an increasingly popular haven for professors to order books for their classes - and most professors who place their orders at Shaman Drum do so exclusively. English Prof. Rebecca Egger has used only Shaman Drum for the four years she has taught at the University. Egger said she chose the bookstore because of its great service, organization, and responsibility. A full selection of scholarly books is "an incredibly useful resource," she says.
Philosophy Prof. Peter Railton agrees. "It's great for Ann Arbor to have an independent bookstore like Shaman Drum."
The store does more than just sell books. Pohrt claims the store is trying to become a community center. In striving for this, the bookshop holds many events to draw in high-brow patrons eager to consume both academic and classic literary works. Up to four times a week, the Drum hosts readings of fiction writers, poets and University faculty in humanities, who have published books. According to Gosser, authors at these events generally read their works for 20 to 30 minutes, field questions for about 20 minutes, then autograph their works while patrons enjoy cheese and wine.
Upcoming readers include Robert Clark, Ed Hirsch, and Gary Holthaus. A schedule of monthly readings can be found in the Shaman Drum newsletter, "Byblios," as well as news about other happenings at the bookshop. The same information can be found on the shop's website at www.shamandrum.com. You can find a copy of "Byblios in both Shaman Drum's textbook and retail book stores. Patrons who join the store's mailing list can have the monthly installment mailed to their campus address.
If you happen to wander into (or wait in line indefinitely to set foot in) Shaman Drum on the first day of classes, you may have been surprised to see much of the staff have temporarily become cross-dressers. This annual event is in memory of a beloved long-time employee, Earl Gebbot, who died four years ago of AIDS and who had been a "flamboyant cross-dresser" in his earlier years. To celebrate Gebbot's birthday, workers at the Drum dress in drag and place bowls of condoms on the counters to promote safe sex. The day is not somber, but rather celebratory.
Says Pohrt, "Earl had a good sense of humor ... he would have appreciated day in which his friends dressed all in drag."
Employees Gosser and Jordan both claim to have participated in the event in past years. "It's a way of dealing with our grief," explains Gosser.
But one question may still remain: If Shaman Drum could be summed up in one word, what would it be? Pohrt is willing to take a stab answering that one: "Hopefully, it's 'welcoming,'" Pohrt said. He added that he knows that a shop that specializes in scholarly books can be intimidating, and he doesn't want it to be. "Despite the fact that Shaman Drum takes the life of the mind seriously, it can still be a lot of fun."
10-01-98
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