Daniel Henry Rodgers Biography

Growing up on the farmlands outside of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, I learned to appreciate the beauty and simplicity of nature. I also discovered my passion for reading; starting with comic books and moving on to classics, I excelled in music, English, and history classes at Fairfield, a small farm town school. My high school English teacher saw my potential as a poet and encouraged me to write more poems.

After finishing high school, I enlisted in the Army and served for three years. During that time, I taught myself how to play the guitar, which became one of my lifelong passions. After leaving the Army, I pursued my musical education at college and met my future wife, who became my muse and inspiration. We have been married for 43 years, and she has cherished every poem I ever wrote for her. I write her poems for every occasion: her birthday, our anniversaries, Christmas, and more.

I continued my education and earned Masters Degrees in Music, Counseling Psychology, and Business. I currently manage several counseling offices for a large firm, where I use my skills and compassion to help people with their mental health, substance abuse, trauma, and well-being. Another passion of mine is philosophy, and I enjoy writing posts and poetry around philosophical insights. I try to make them interesting, insightful, and deep. I also write about theological ideas, love, and faith as a Christian.

My family enriches my life: three married daughters, three sons-in-law, and three granddaughters. I write about growing up, married life, fatherhood, and grandfatherhood. And yes, I also write songs in poetic format and have composed musical pieces over the years.

You could say that my life is a symphony of words, music, and love, where God is the conductor, and my family is the orchestra. Now, as a Haiku (one of my favorite genres):

Words, music, and love,
God directs, our family plays,
My Life's Symphony.

Thanks to the Team of Judges for the Contest "Prismatic Self"

Blog Posted by Daniel Henry Rodgers: 6/10/2025 11:43:00 AM

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Date: 6/10/2025 3:55:00 PM
Thanks for the unique experience. A long time ago I judged by mail and never knew who the other two judges of the Shadowpoetry contests were. To this day I wonder who they were
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Date: 6/10/2025 2:04:00 PM
Daniel, I've never been tasked to co-judge a contest, but 8 people from different backgrounds and ages proved to be easier than I expected when it came to agreeing. However, reading 35 poems of some length, a multiple of times to be sure they covered the criteria you required was at times a 'hair pulling' experience. LOL I'm only half joking about that. There was such a variance of ideas expressed in the entries that I think the others will agree took quite a bit of focus. Thank you for trusting us to evaluate each poem to the best of our ability, and it's gratifying to know you think we did that. I give credit to you and no one else for this. Suggestions without results are fruitless.
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Dietrich Avatar
Andrea Dietrich
Date: 6/10/2025 3:50:00 PM
I agree with what you said, Lin. But I will never ever host a premiere contest!! Not even with a panel of judges!!!
Date: 6/10/2025 1:48:00 PM
I am happy to see that my suggestion about experimenting with a panel of judges was taken seriously Daniel. Even if you never saw the recommendation, it still is a step forward as far as I'm concerned and in fact, I have utilized fellow poets to help me judge in the past. The future's looking better all the time for PS
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