{{Short description|American writer (born 1940)}} '''Dan Gerber''' (born 1940<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.poetryfoundation.org/archive/poet.html?id=2470 |title=Dan Gerber : The Poetry Foundation : Find Poems and Poets. Discover Poetry |publisher=The Poetry Foundation |date= |accessdate=2009-11-14}}</ref> in western Michigan, United States) is an American poet.
== Life and work == Dan Gerber Jr. is the son of Daniel Frank Gerber, founder of the Gerber Products Company. At age 26 he was made a Director on the Board of the company, and resigned when he turned 31.<ref>Muson, Howard. The Reluctant Successor. ''Family Business Magazine'' October, 1990. [https://www.lgassoc.com/the-reluctant-successor/]{{Dead link|date=July 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Accessed September 13, 2017</ref>
Gerber attended the Leelanau School (class of 1958) and then received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Michigan State University in 1962. He was the co-founder, with Jim Harrison, of the literary magazine ''Sumac''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://msupress.msu.edu/bookTemplate.php?bookID=2268 |title=Michigan State University Press | Sumac Reader, a Limited Numbered Edition, Signed by Jim Harrison, Dan Gerber, and Joseph Bednarik | Joseph Bednarik |publisher=Msupress.msu.edu |accessdate=2009-11-14 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100213011853/http://msupress.msu.edu/bookTemplate.php?bookID=2268 |archivedate=2010-02-13 }}</ref> As part of his journalist profession, Gerber made extensive travels, primarily to Africa. He has served as writer-in-residence at Michigan State University and Grand Valley State University.<ref name="msu">{{cite web|url=http://www.lib.msu.edu/services/spec_coll/writer/MWCDanGerber.html |title=Michigan Writers Collection: Dan Gerber |publisher=Lib.msu.edu |date=2003-01-02 |accessdate=2009-11-14 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090813085445/http://www.lib.msu.edu/services/spec_coll/writer/MWCDanGerber.html |archivedate=August 13, 2009 }}</ref> Gerber currently lives in Santa Ynez Valley, California with his wife and son.<ref name="kwls">{{cite web |url=http://www.kwls.org/lit/2010/bio.cfm?auth_id=201 |title=Key West Literary Seminar | 2010 | DanGerber |publisher=Kwls.org |accessdate=2009-11-14 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090811013121/http://www.kwls.org/lit/2010/bio.cfm?Auth_id=201 |archivedate=2009-08-11 }}</ref>
Gerber's literary works have been recognized and highlighted at Michigan State University in their Michigan Writers Series.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lib.msu.edu/branches/vvl/writers/index.jsp |title=Michigan Writers Series |publisher=Michigan State University Libraries |date= |accessdate=2012-07-15 |archive-date=2019-07-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190731050317/https://lib.msu.edu/branches/vvl/writers/index.jsp |url-status=dead }}</ref> His work has appeared in ''Narrative Magazine' Poetry, The New Yorker, The Massachusetts Review, The Nation, New Letters, and Best American Poetry'.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.narrativemagazine.com/authors/dan-gerber|title=Dan Gerber | Narrative Magazine|date=7 June 2008}}</ref> ''
His most recent book of poetry, ''Particles: New and Selected Poems'', was published in 2017 by Copper Canyon Press.
== Awards and honors == *Michigan Author Award (1992) <ref name="msu" /> *Poem ''My Father's Fields'' included in ''The Best American Poetry 1999'' <ref name="msupress" /> *Trying to Catch the Horses received the Gold Award in the 2000 Book of the Year Awards by ForeWord magazine.<ref name="msupress" /> *Mark Twain Award for distinguished contributions to Midwestern literature (2001) <ref name="msupress">{{cite web|author=Dan Gerber |url=http://msupress.msu.edu/authorbio.php?authorID=22 |title=Michigan State University Press : Dan Gerber |publisher=Msupress.msu.edu |accessdate=2009-11-14 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100630223645/http://msupress.msu.edu/authorbio.php?authorID=22 |archivedate=2010-06-30 }}</ref> ''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== {{Expand list|date=February 2011}} *[https://birthdaysofpoets.blogspot.com/2008/05/dan-gerber.html "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'' (Copper Canyon Press, 2017) *''Sailing through Cassiopeia'' (Copper Canyon Press, 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== {{reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gerber, Dan}} Category:American male poets Category:1940 births Category:Living people Category:People from Fremont, Michigan Category:Michigan State University alumni Category:Grand Valley State University faculty Category:Michigan State University faculty