Gerald Stern | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Stern at theMiami Book Fair International in 2011 | |
| Born | (1925-02-22)February 22, 1925 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | October 27, 2022(2022-10-27) (aged 97) New York City, U.S. |
| Occupation |
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| Education | |
| Spouse | |
| Partner | Anne Marie Macari |
| Children | 2 |
Gerald Daniel Stern (February 22, 1925 – October 27, 2022) was an American poet, essayist, and educator. The author of twenty collections of poetry and four books of essays, he taught literature and creative writing atTemple University,Indiana University of Pennsylvania,Raritan Valley Community College and theIowa Writers' Workshop. From 2009 until his death, he was a distinguished poet-in-residence and faculty member ofDrew University's graduate program for aMaster of Fine Arts (MFA) in poetry.
Stern was a graduate of theUniversity of Pittsburgh andColumbia University and attended theUniversity of Paris for post-graduate study. He received theNational Book Award for Poetry in 1998 forThis Time: New and Selected Poems and was named a finalist for thePulitzer Prize in Poetry in 1991 forLeaving Another Kingdom: Selected Poems. In 2000, GovernorChristine Todd Whitman appointed him the firstPoet Laureate of New Jersey.
Stern was born inPittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on February 22, 1925.[1][2] His parents, Harry and Ida Barach Stern, were Jewish and immigrated to the United States from Ukraine and Poland, respectively, in 1905. They owned several clothing stores and sold other items including cigars.[1] Stern attendedTaylor Allderdice High School in his hometown, graduating in 1942.[1][3] He was initially rejected from military service due to his poor eyesight, but served in theArmy Air Forces from 1946 to 1947 after the military re-examined him. He studied at theUniversity of Pittsburgh, graduating with aBachelor of Arts in 1947. Two years later, he obtained aMaster of Arts fromColumbia University.[1][4]
After earning his master's degree, Stern relocated to Europe to undertake doctoral studies at theUniversity of Paris.[1][5] However, he did not finish his degree and spent his twenties traveling between New York City and Europe.[6][7] It was during this time that he started to write and publish poetry.[1] Stern went back to the U.S. in 1956 and started teaching atTemple University.[1] He remained there for seven years and left after being unable to receivetenure. He subsequently taught atIndiana University of Pennsylvania for four years.[7] After a period ofpaid leave, he taught atRaritan Valley Community College in New Jersey,[7][8] before briefly working at Pittsburgh (his alma mater) in 1979.[7] He then went to theUniversity of Iowa at the behest of theIowa Writers' Workshop, and taught there for 14 years until his retirement in 1996. Stern came out of retirement to teach atSarah Lawrence College for a while.[7]
Stern published his first poem, "The Pineys", in 1969 inThe Journal of the Rutgers University Library. Four years later, he released his firstpoetry collection titledRejoicings.[1] His work became widely recognized after the 1977 publication of his second collection,Lucky Life,[1] which was that year'sLamont Poetry Selection,[9] and was nominated for theNational Book Critics Circle Award for Poetry.[1] He also authored a series of essays on writing poetry inAmerican Poetry Review. He went on to receive several awards for his writing, including the 1996Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, the 1998National Book Award forThis Time: New and Selected Poems,[10] and the 2012Library of Congress Rebekah Johnson Bobbitt National Award[11] forEarly Collected Poems: 1965–1992. He wasPoet Laureate of New Jersey from 2000 to 2002,[12][13] and received theWallace Stevens Award from theAcademy of American Poets in 2005. From 2006 on Stern was a chancellor of theAcademy of American Poets.[12]
In addition to the aforementioned academic institutions, Stern also taught atRutgers University.[8] During the mid-1970s, he was a literature consultant for both New Jersey and Pennsylvania Council of the Arts as well as a coordinator for Pennsylvania's poetry in schools program.[4] Stern was a faculty member and co-founder ofNew England College'sMaster of Fine Arts Program in Poetry.
Stern married Patricia Miller in 1952. They had two children together. They divorced in the 1980s.[1] He was in a domestic partnership with poetAnne Marie Macari during the last 25 years of his life, and he lived in New York City andMiami Beach, Florida.[1][6]
Stern died on October 27, 2022, at the Calvary Hospice inNew York City. He was 97 years old.[1][14]
