At the bustling Safeway under bright fluorescent lights, the constant beeps of self-checkout machines fill the air as customers navigate the busy station. Employee Tom Edison stands attentively to help those in need. With a sincere smile lighting up his face, he offers customers a patient hand and kind words, making each interaction a personal connection. He holds his new poetry book, Letters to Goethe , and is enthused to show friends and acquaintances his first physical copy.

Edison, a grocery clerk, poet and visual artist, was born in 1972 in Riverside, California. He earned a BA in English Literature at the University of California, Riverside, in 2001 and worked for a video store for 14 years before moving to Eugene in 2015. Known for his warm demeanor and genuine interactions with

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