Richie Hofmann, a young poet and doctoral student at Emory University, is preparing a detailed inventory of the book collection at the James Merrill House in July 2010. Last summer, he presented “JM: Painterly Technique and Pentimenti,” a portion of his Boston University senior thesis, at the Teaching James Merrill Conference in Stonington. At Emory University, he specializes in poetry and studies with Natasha Trethewey.