Dan Libman

A lifelong Illinois resident, Dan Libman has been living near Rockford and teaching at Northern Illinois University for 20 years, where he was awarded the Excellence in Undergraduate teaching award in 2018.

His essays and stories have garnered a Paris Review Discovery Prize, a Pushcart Prize for fiction, and an Illinois Arts Council grant in prose. His debut story collection, Married But Looking, was featured on WNIJ's inaugural book series in 2012.

His history with NPR includes reading a This I Believe Essay on the Bob Edwards show, stumping the chumps on Car Talk, and winning a pink elephant on Whad'ya Know. He also was tied for being the first cyclist (along with radio's Carl Nelson) to ride the length of the Rock River, which was chronicled in a five-part Morning Edition series. He has previously reported from RABGRAI, bicycled Lincoln Highway, and has sat in bars talking politics for WNIJ. Currently, he hosts the WNIJ podcast Under Rocks.

He is a Leo and can be reached at heylibman@yahoo.com