Dan Wickett, cofounder of Dzanc Books and founder of the Emerging Writers Network blog, died on September 15 of a heart condition he’d long battled. He was 59.

In a tribute posted on Dzanc’s website, Dzanc cofounder Steve Gillis recalled launching the Ann Arbor, Mich.–based nonprofit press with Wickett in 2006, when the two “were crazy enough to bring something to the independent press world.” Gillis continued, “Over the last 20 years we have built Dzanc into a literary publishing house we can be proud of.” Wickett served as executive director of Dzanc for almost a decade, before stepping back in 2014 due to health issues. Gillis retired as publisher in 2016; Michelle Dotter currently serves as editor-in-chief and publisher.

Even more important, Gillis added, was that Wickett “was a wonderful man. Soft-spoken, kind, intelligent, never had a malicious word for anyone.” Gillis noted that Dzanc will take over Wickett’s Emerging Writers blog to “honor his legacy by continuing to do reviews of worthy writers.”

Wickett was born in Detroit on January 22, 1966, and lived, he once wrote, “within an hour of my birthplace my entire life.” After receiving a B.S. in statistics from the University of Michigan in 1988, Wickett worked in the automobile supply industry, as a quality control manager at Almetals.

Wickett was also one of the organizers and host of Brain Candy, a monthly event providing artists in the Detroit metro with opportunities to share their poetry, short stories, music, and art with each other and the larger community. “These organizations touched many lives,” noted his family in an obituary, “and none of that would have been possible without Dan.”

A memorial service for Wickett will be held on September 27 at John N Santeiu & Son Funeral Home in Garden City, Mich., with a visitation from 1 pm-3:30 pm and the service at 3:30 pm.

“This will not be your typical service, but rather something more in tune with Dan's passions,” his family wrote, “We are planning to have a handful of local artists that he has worked with in the past perform in his honor. This celebration will last approximately two hours and will conclude with an extended hour of visitation where anyone who wishes to do so, can say a few words.”

Donations in Wickett’s honor may be directed to Dzanc Books.