Jack Anderson, witty and sharp-eyed poet and dance writer, has childhood roots in Milwaukee. Anderson was born in 1935 and, though he has long been a resident of New York City, often writes of his boyhood memories in Milwaukee.
Since 1978, he has contributed dance reviews and other articles to TheNew York Times. In addition to composing numerous literary pieces for the magazines Dancing Times and Dance, Anderson has published seven books of dance history and criticism and nine volumes of poetry. He also is the co-founder of Dance Chronicle, which he co-edited for more than 20 years.
Anderson, who graduated from Northwestern University and received a master's degree in creative writing from Indiana University, draws on the parallels between dance and poetry in many of his compositions, focusing on the manner in which movement, rhythm and images flow through each art form. Much of Anderson's verse is inspired by the paradoxes of daily life and is satirically tied to our perceptions of who we are as human beings.
Anderson will visit UW-Milwaukee for two events, March 30-31, co-sponsored by UWM's Dance Department and Creative Writing Program. On March 30 at 1 p.m., Anderson will lecture on contemporary dance history in Mitchell Hall Room 341. On March 31 at 7 p.m., he will perform a poetry reading and dance event in Mitchell Hall 254. Both events are free of charge and open to the public.
