Celebrated Author Dan Gerber to Read at Smith

Smith College will present a reading by author Dan Gerber at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, December 11, in Stoddard Hall Auditorium.

The reading is free and open to the public.

Gerber is the celebrated author of three novels, numerous essays and short stories, and eight books of poetry. Born in western Michigan and educated at Michigan State University, Gerber’s wide-ranging interests are reflected in his varied careers: racecar driver, high school teacher, journalist and corporate executive. He traveled extensively as a journalist, particularly in Africa, and has lectured, read and taught throughout the United States and England.

Gerber’s most recent poetry collections are “A Primer on Parallel Lives” and the newly-released “Sailing Through Cassiopeia.” With unusual grace and precision, his poems ask us to attend to those seemingly ordinary experiences that punctuate our lives and can stir our deepest reserves of wisdom and understanding. As Gerber himself reflected, “In poetry as well as prose, I feel less a creator than an instrument of experience. I write what presents itself to me as necessary.”

Gerber’s poems have been included in The Best American Poetry series, and he is the recipient of a Michigan Author Award and the Mark Twain Award for Distinguished Contributions to Midwestern Literature. He lives with his wife in the Santa Ynez Valley of California.

Gerber’s reading will be followed by a book sale and signing. For further information, contact Jennifer Blackburn in the Poetry Center at (413) 585-4891. To reserve an assistive listening device e-mail Jennifer Blackburn at jblackbu@smith.edu at least one day prior to the reading.

For other disability accommodations, e-mail ODS@smith.edu or call (413) 585-2071. To request a sign language interpreter, call at least 10 days prior to the event.