About Dave
Dave Greber was a prolific, working writer who was committed to the rigorous professionalism of non-fiction freelance writing. Though Dave wrote extensively about Canadian business, he also wrote about the environment, social justice issues, cowboys in Western Canada, and the lasting effects of violence on the individual.
If I Cannot Write, I Cannot Live.
Dave wrote books and magazine articles on a wide range of subjects from the environment to issues related to social justice. Often, Dave was not content to simply report on issues. Later in his life, he also sought and posed possible solutions to the problems about which he wrote. This approach to writing is but one of the traits that made him such a remarkable presence.
If you do not breathe through writing, if you do not cry out in writing, or sing in writing, then don't write, because our culture has no use for it.
— Anais Nin
“To do what I do requires a lot of hard work and absolute dedication.”
Social Justice
In the last decade of his life Dave wrote at length about his experiences as a child of Holocaust survivors and, through continued research, he gave voice to the knowledge of other survivors. Much of his writing reflects a sense of urgency about issues of social justice in Canada and the wider world now bound together by the process of globalization. He recognized that the current world was still prone to violence and genocide that kills many and haunts its survivors. Dave continuously pursued the need for non-violent solutions and he recognized the chronic need that exists for the healing of brutalized lives. He felt that "an act of violence is a part of a stream of history not just an isolated act in time." He thought that the reverberations of violence "will continue unless the people affected decide there has to be another way." Dave devoted his personal energy through his writing and made other efforts to find and protect the "other" way. In life, he actively sought ways to build man's humanity to man.
“If language is not correct, then what is said is not what is meant; if what is said is not what is meant, then what must be done remains undone; if this remains undone, morals and art will deteriorate; if justice goes astray, the people will stand about in helpless confusion. Hence there must be no arbitrariness in what is said. This matters above everything.”
Background
After completing degrees in History and Political Science from the University of Western Ontario, Dave Greber left Toronto in 1974 to write and work on newspapers in Western Canada. He was a dedicated professional for whom writing was the breath of life. A passionate stylist and technician, he crafted stories that were powerful, effective and appealing. Dave was a quick study with a curious mind and a wicked sense of humor. He had an ability for telling stories across a variety of media and for a diverse range of markets and audiences.
“Writing is an exploration. You start from nothing and learn as you go.”
Dave’s Work
As a freelance writer in Calgary, Alberta, Dave expanded his writing skills and wrote in a wide range of areas that included considerable work on environmental issues and corporate responsibility for the environment. He scripted industrial films for major corporations and created training videos to meet a variety of requirements. Dave had a continuing interest in the development and growth of Canadian businesses. Over more than 20 years this led him to write magazine articles spanning dozens of topics of financial, investment and economic interest. He was a frequent contributor to CBC programming.
A cracking read, that blows their minds.
Dave wrote several books about business. He was the author of the Canadian best-sellers, Rising to Power: Paul Demarais and Power Corporation and Hustling For A Buck: The Adventure of Living Self Employed. In support and recognition of his professional work, Dave was the recipient of several grants and awards for writing excellence.
For many years Dave instructed courses in professional writing through Mt. Royal College (and subsequently Mt. Royal University), University of Calgary and the Calgary Board of Education. He continuously encouraged young writers through the generous use of his personal time and effort at young writer's conferences and by being a writer-in-residence at the community college level.
Dave was strongly attached to the West - its developing history and the parallel arrival of the cowboy. This deep personal resonance appeared in his music and derived from his direct experiences in cowboy life.
“Writing is the only thing that, when I do it, I don’t feel I should be doing something else.”