Dan Gerber (born 1940 in western

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

) is an American

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or wri ...

Life and work

Dan Gerber Jr. is the son of

Daniel Frank Gerber Daniel Frank Gerber (May 6, 1898 – March 16, 1974) was an American manufacturer of baby food, and founder of Gerber Food Products. He had a management college education and then started working for his father's canning company in Michigan and ...

, founder of the

Gerber Products Company Gerber Products Company is an American purveyor of baby food and baby products headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, with plans to relocate to Arlington, Virginia. Gerber is a subsidiary of Nestlé. Other Gerber products currently produced ...

. At age 26 he was made a Director on the Board of the company, and resigned when he turned 31. Gerber attended the Leelanau School (class of 1958) and then received a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

degree in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

from Michigan State University in 1962. He was the co-founder, with

Jim Harrison James Harrison (December 11, 1937 – March 26, 2016) was an American poet, novelist, and essayist. He was a prolific and versatile writer publishing over three dozen books in several genres including poetry, fiction, nonfiction, children’s ...

, of the literary magazine ''

Sumac Sumac ( or ), also spelled sumach, is any of about 35 species of flowering plants in the genus ''Rhus'' and related genera in the cashew family (Anacardiaceae). Sumacs grow in subtropical and temperate regions throughout the world, including Eas ...

''. As part of his journalist profession, Gerber made extensive travels, primarily to

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

. He has served as writer-in-residence at Michigan State University and Grand Valley State University. Gerber currently lives in

Santa Ynez Valley The Santa Ynez Valley is located in Santa Barbara County, California, between the Santa Ynez Mountains to the south and the San Rafael Mountains to the north. The Santa Ynez River flows through the valley from east to west. The Santa Ynez Val ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

with his wife. Gerber's literary works have been recognized and highlighted at Michigan State University in their Michigan Writers Series. His work has appeared in ''

Narrative Magazine ''Narrative'' is an online magazine and website that is dedicated to advancing the literary arts in the digital age and publishes fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, and art. It was founded in 2003. History and profile Founded in 2003, the l ...

' Poetry, The New Yorker, The Massachusetts Review, The Nation, New Letters, and Best American Poetry'. '' His most recent book of poetry, ''Particles: New and Selected Poems'', was published in 2017 by

Copper Canyon Press Copper Canyon Press is an independent, non-profit small press, founded in 1972 specializing exclusively in the publication of poetry. It is located in Port Townsend, Washington. Copper Canyon Press publishes new collections of poetry by both pop ...

Awards and honors

* Michigan Author Award (1992) *Poem ''My Father's Fields'' included in ''

The Best American Poetry 1999 ''The Best American Poetry 1999'', a volume in '' The Best American Poetry series'', was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor Robert Bly Robert Elwood Bly (December 23, 1926 – November 21, 2021) was an American poet, essayist, activis ...

'' * Trying to Catch the Horses received the Gold Award in the 2000 Book of the Year Awards by

ForeWord magazine A foreword is a (usually short) piece of writing, sometimes placed at the beginning of a book or other piece of literature. Typically written by someone other than the primary author of the work, it often tells of some interaction between the ...

. * Mark Twain Award for distinguished contributions to Midwestern literature (2001) ''A Primer on Parallel Lives'' received a Michigan Notable Book Award from The Library of Michigan in 2008. ''Sailing through Cassiopeia'' published by Copper Canyon Press won The Society of Midland Authors Award for poetry in 2013 Work selected for Best American Poetry 1999

Works

"The Rain Poured Down"; "Doing Nothing"; "Christmas Eve 1944"; "A Star at Dawn, a Bubble in a Stream", ''Birthdays of Poets''

Poetry

*''Particles: New and Selected Poems'' (

, 2017) *''Sailing through Cassiopeia'' (

, 2012) *''A Primer on Parallel Lives'' (Copper Canyon Press, 2007) *''Trying to Catch the Horses'' (1999) *''A Last Bridge Home: New and Selected Poems'' (1992) *''Snow on the Backs of Animals'' (1986) *''The Chinese Poems'' (1978) *''Departure'' (1973) *''The Revenant'' (1971)

Novels

*''A Voice from the River'' (1990) *''Out of Control'' (1974) *''American Atlas'' (1973)

Short stories

*''Grass Fires'' (1987)

Nonfiction

*''A Second Life: A Collected Nonfiction'' (2001) *''Indy: The World’s Fastest Carnival Ride'' (1977)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gerber, Dan American male poets 1940 births Living people People from Fremont, Michigan Michigan State University alumni Grand Valley State University faculty Michigan State University faculty