Born a twin in 1953, son of a German mother and a Belgian father, Gerard grew up far from Würzburg and from Liège, among the forests and lakes of the coastal pulp and paper town of Powell River, B.C. A lover of endives and sauerkraut, lebkuchen and rice pie, he has a BSC. and a BA. from University of British Columbia, and a Master's of English Literature from the University of Washington, and over the years he has worked as a broke hustler, green chain hand, postal employee, commercial fisherman, apartment manager, and tutor. The idea for Fathers: A Literary Anthology came to him several years ago, and though he tried to resist, it would not go away. He was, after all, the father of two teenage children, and some of his thoughts were forged in the fiery smithy of experience. Part of the impetus, too, came from seeing how "astronaut kids," children with fathers half a world away, responded to reading personal essays and poems about fathers. A gift for all his children, biological and emotional, this anthology was compiled as an act of affirmation. Despite being an agnostic - one who lacks the certainty to be an atheist - he believes passionately in the power of friendship, loving kindness, and literature to give meaning to our lives.

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