Den Boer, James (1937-2022) | Heritage Hall, Hekman Library

Poet, author, editor, and publisher were just a few hats worn by James Den Boer. He was born in Sheboygan, Wisconsin on August 21, 1937, educated in local schools, and attended Calvin College (AB 1960) and the University of California, Santa Barbara (MA 1969). He served in the US Naval Reserve from 1955-1963 and married Cady Williams in 1970.

Throughout his life, Den Boer was honored with numerous awards, grants, and prizes from prestigious institutions such as the National Endowment for the Arts, National Arts Council, and the International Poetry Forum. He published numerous books of poetry and occasionally branched out into translations, novels, and screenplays. Den Boer lived in Sacramento, CA from the mid-1990s where he continued to write, also serving as editor of Swan Scythe Press, and the proprietor of an online book shop, Paperwork.