Dan Vera (born

South Texas South Texas is a region of the U.S. state of Texas that lies roughly south of—and includes—San Antonio. The southern and western boundary is the Rio Grande, and to the east it is the Gulf of Mexico. The population of this region is about 4.96 ...

) 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 wr ...

and editor.Dan Vera , Directory of Writers , Poets & Writers
/ref>

Career

Vera is the author of ''Speaking Wiri Wiri'', (

Red Hen Press Red Hen Press is an American non-profit press located in Pasadena, California, and specializing in the publication of poetry, literary fiction, and nonfiction. The press is a member of the Council of Literary Magazines and Presses, and was a final ...

, 2013)''Speaking Wiri Wiri'' , Red Hen Press
/ref> and ''The Space Between Our Danger and Delight'', (Beothuk Books, 2009). His manuscript ''The Guide to Imaginary Monuments'' was selected by

Orlando Ricardo Menes Orlando Ricardo Menes is a Cuban-American poet, short story writer, translator, editor, and professor. Born in Lima, Peru, to Cuban parents, Menes immigrated to the United States at the age of 10 after a leftist coup d'etat forced his family ...

for the 2012 Letras Latinas/Red Hen Poetry Prize and published as ''Speaking Wiri Wiri''.''Speaking Wiri Wiri'' , Red Hen Press
/ref> In 2014, he was named one of LatinoStories.com's "Top 10 'New' Latino Authors to Watch (and Read)", calling him "a talented, sophisticated poet who is a master at playing with words". In 2017, he was the recipient of the Oscar Wilde Award for

LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term i ...

poetry. His work has appeared in ''

The American Prospect ''The American Prospect'' is a daily online and bimonthly print American political and public policy magazine dedicated to American modern liberalism and progressivism. Based in Washington, D.C., ''The American Prospect'' says it "is devoted t ...

'', ''Foreign Policy in Focus'', '

Poet Lore ''Poet Lore'' is an English-language literary magazine based in Bethesda, Maryland. Established in 1889 by Charlotte Porter and Helen Archibald Clarke, two progressive young Shakespeare scholars who believed in the evolutionary nature of literatu ...

'', '' Beltway Poetry Quarterly'', '' Notre Dame Review'', ''Delaware Poetry Review'', '' Gargoyle Magazine'', ''Konch'', and ''Red Wheelbarrow''. Vera's poetry blends English and Spanish. As he explains:

I love the English language. And I think one of the things that I love about the English language is the permeability of English to not only accept but also struggle with the incorporation of other languages like Spanish. So when I write, I'm constantly going back and forth between these two possible ways of articulating the world around me.

Vera is poetry editor of '' Origins Journal'' and past Managing Editor of '' White Crane''. He publishes other poets through Vrzhu Press and Souvenir Spoon Books.Dan Vera biography
/ref> Vera is the co-editor, with ire'ne lara silva, of an essay anthology about

Gloria Anzaldúa Gloria may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Christian liturgy and music * Gloria in excelsis Deo, the Greater Doxology, a hymn of praise * Gloria Patri, the Lesser Doxology, a short hymn of praise ** Gloria (Handel) ** Gloria (Jenkins ...

, ''Imaniman: Poets Writing in the Anzaldúan Borderlands'', ( Aunt Lute Books, 2016). He founded Brookland Area Writers & Artists and serves on the boards of

Split This Rock {{Short description, American national nonprofit organization of poets, artists, and activists Split This Rock is a national nonprofit organization of poets, artists, and activists based in Washington, D.C. The organization's stated goals are: To ...

Poetry and Rainbow History Project. His work as co-editor with Kim Roberts of the literary history site ''D.C. Writers' Homes'' was part of his effort to get to know Washington D.C.:

I was just really fascinated to discover that writing and writers had existed in D.C. before me. I live in the Brookland neighborhood, and was fascinated to find out that Sterling Brown lived a few blocks from me and wanted to know more about him — that kind of started a progression of interest in writers, playwrights and poets and novelists who called Washington home.

Vera is a member of the prestigious Macondo Writers Workshop, the workshop founded by

Sandra Cisneros Sandra Cisneros (born December 20, 1954) is an American writer. She is best known for her first novel, ''The House on Mango Street'' (1983), and her subsequent short story collection, '' Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories'' (1991). Her work e ...

. and a fellow of the

CantoMundo CantoMundo is an American literary organization founded in 2009 to support Latino poets and poetry. It hosts an annual poetry workshop dedicated to the creation, documentation, and critical analysis of Latinx poetry. History CantoMundo was founded ...

Poetry Workshop.

Personal life

He lives in the Brookland neighborhood of

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Works

Poetry collections

* *

Poetry in anthologies

* * * * * * * *

As editor

* , with ire'ne lara silva and an introduction by

United States Poet Laureate The Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress—commonly referred to as the United States Poet Laureate—serves as the official poet of the United States. During their term, the poet laureate seeks to raise the national cons ...

Juan Felipe Herrera Juan Felipe Herrera (born in December 27, 1948) is an American poet, performer, writer, cartoonist, teacher, and activist. Herrera was the 21st United States Poet Laureate from 2015 to 2017. Herrera's experiences as the child of migrant farmers ...

* , with Malcolm Boyd and Bo Young

External links

Official website
* ,

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 federa ...

* ,

WAMU WAMU (88.5 FM) is a public news/talk station that services the greater Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. It is owned by American University, and its studios are located near the campus in northwest Washington. WAMU has been the primary Natio ...

's "Metro Connection" * Beltway Poetry Quarterly *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vera, Dan 21st-century American poets Living people American magazine editors American male poets American writers of Cuban descent American gay writers Hispanic and Latino American poets LGBT Hispanic and Latino American people American LGBT poets Poets from Texas Poets from Washington, D.C. Writers from Washington, D.C. Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers American male non-fiction writers LGBT people from Texas LGBT people from Washington, D.C. 21st-century LGBT people Gay poets