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Owner and operator of the Shaman Drum Bookshop, a noted independent bookstore in Ann Arbor, Mich. that gained national recognition and regularly hosted leading contemporary American writers from 1981 until its closure in 2009. Collection includes business records, articles about the bookselling industry, press coverage, photographs, printed broadsides, catalogs, store newsletters and posters documenting events at the Shaman Drum. Also contains records of Pohrt's other business affiliations and involvement in local cultural initiatives such as the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair and the Ann Arbor Book Festival.

The Karl Pohrt papers consist of materials relating to Pohrt's personal life, education, teaching, business ventures, and involvement in professional associations and community initiatives. Photographs, personal writings, signed broadsides, and correspondence document Pohrt's contact and friendships with writers and academics. In addition, the Pohrt papers include press articles and documentation from meetings providing a view into the effects of online retail on the bookselling industry.