I was saddened this morning to learn of a terrible loss to the independent literature community.  Poet and publisher Robert Hansen passed away from a pulmonary embolism in November.

I first worked with Robert in 2017, when he was kind enough to print some of my poems and microfiction in mini-book format with Poems-for-All.  (Robert’s unique matchbook-sized mini-books published short literature in a way that allowed writers to “scatter them like seeds,” sharing their work with friends and strangers alike.  He was a truly gifted graphic designer as well, and the covers he created were always perfect.)

Robert was a man with whom it was always a pleasure to interact.  He was a sublimely gracious person who was always generous with his time, and he took obvious pleasure in encouraging and supporting creative people.

His loss is a great one to the writers who were lucky enough to work with him.  I can only imagine it is immeasurably more so to the people who knew him best.