Doug Anderson (born 1943) 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 writte ...

, fiction writer, and memoirist. His most recent book is Horse Medicine (Barrow Street Books) . He has written a memoir,'Keep Your Head Down: Vietnam, the Sixties, and a Journey of Self-Discovery'' (W.W. Norton, 2009). His honors include grants and fellowships from the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

, the Massachusetts Artists Foundation, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, ''Poets & Writers,'' and the

MacDowell Colony MacDowell is an artist's residency program in Peterborough, New Hampshire, United States, founded in 1907 by composer Edward MacDowell and his wife, pianist and philanthropist Marian MacDowell. Prior to July 2020, it was known as the MacDowell ...

. His work has appeared in ''Ploughshares'', the ''Connecticut Review, The Massachusetts Review, Virginia Quarterly, The Southern Review, Field,''''The Lumber Yard Journal'' > 1.5, November 2005 > Doug Anderson (contributor notes)
and ''The Autumn House Anthology of American Poetry'', as well as this year's ''Contemporary American War Poetry.'' He also published a play, ''Short Timers,'' which was produced in New York in 1981. He served in

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

as a corpsman with a

Marine Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military * ...

infantry battalion in 1967. He graduated from the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. T ...

. He worked in the theater, as an actor. He then settled in

Northampton, Massachusetts The city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of Northampton (including its outer villages, Florence and Leeds) was 29,571. Northampton is known as an acade ...

, where he began to write plays and poems in a workshop with

Jack Gilbert Jack Gilbert (February 18, 1925 – November 13, 2012) was an American poet. Gilbert was acquainted with Jack Spicer and Allen Ginsberg, both prominent figureheads of the Beat Movement, but is not considered a Beat Poet; he described himself as ...

, and

Linda Gregg Linda Alouise Gregg (September 9, 1942 – March 20, 2019) was an American poet. Biography She was born in Suffern, New York. Ms. Gregg grew up on the other side of the country, in Marin County, California. She received both her Bachelor of A ...

. Anderson taught at the

University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from Hart ...

Eastern Connecticut State University Eastern Connecticut State University (Eastern, Eastern Connecticut, Eastern Connecticut State, or ECSU) is a public liberal arts university in Willimantic, Connecticut. Founded in 1889, it is the second-oldest campus in the Connecticut State Univ ...

, the William Joiner Center for the Study of War and Its Social Consequences,

Mount Wachusett Community College Mount Wachusett Community College (MWCC) is a public community college in Gardner, Massachusetts. Established by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 1963, it features an open admissions policy for the majority of its academic programs. MWCC of ...

and at a Massachusetts state prison. He is completing a book called ''Loose Cantos''. In 2010 he began teaching in the

Pacific University Pacific University is a private university in Forest Grove, Oregon. Founded in 1849 as the Tualatin Academy, the original Forest Grove campus is west of Portland. The university maintains three other campuses in Eugene, Hillsboro, and Wood ...

of Oregon MFA Program. He is currently a lecturer in the Institute of Liberal Arts and Interdisciplinary Studies at Emerson College, Boston.

Honors and awards

* Pushcart Prize * NEA grant * Massachusetts Cultural Council Fellowship * 1995 Kate Tufts Discovery Award for ''The Moon Reflected Fire''

Published works

Full-length poetry collections * * * Chapbooks * ''Cry Wolf'' (Azul Editions)Azul Editions > Poetry > ''Cry Wolf'' by Doug Anderson
Anthology publications * * * Memoir * Keep Your Head Down: Vietnam, The Sixties, and a Journey of Self-Discovery

Reviews

Joyce Peseroff writes that ''The Moon Reflected Fire'' is “not just about Vietnam but resonant with the history of warriors from the backyard to the

Iliad The ''Iliad'' (; grc, Ἰλιάς, Iliás, ; "a poem about Ilium") is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Odysse ...

to the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

. ''Blues for Unemployed Secret Police'', was praised by ''

Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is av ...

'' for its “powerful, funny-horrific, brutal-tender poems.”

References

External links

Biography & Poems: The Poetry Center at Smith College > Featured Reader > Doug Anderson

* Essay: * ttp://www.poetryfoundation.org/archive/poem.html?id=182360 Poem: The Poetry Foundation > ''Letter to Martín Espada'' by Doug Anderson* {{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Doug 1943 births Living people Poets from Massachusetts University of Arizona alumni University of Connecticut faculty United States Navy corpsmen United States Navy personnel of the Vietnam War Eastern Connecticut State University Pacific University faculty Emerson College faculty