Biography

Norbert Hirschhorn is a physician specializing in the public health of women, children and communities in the USA and the Third World. In 1993 he was commended by President Bill Clinton as an “American Health Hero”. His work has been recognized by awards from the Dana Foundation and the Linda and Kenneth Pollin Foundation. For details see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norbert_Hirschhorn

In 1994 Hirschhorn received a Master in Fine Arts degree from Vermont College of Fine Arts.

His first pamphlet, Renewal Soup, and his first full collection, A Cracked River, were published by Slow Dancer Press, London, UK, in 1996 and 1999. Two pamphlets followed resulting from competitions: The Empress of Certain from Poet’s Corner Press, Stockton, California, in 2005; and Sailing with the Pleiades from Main Street Rag Publishing Co, Charlotte, North Carolina, in 2007. A fourth pamphlet, The Terrible Crystal, was published in 2008 by Hearing Eye Press, London, UK. A second full collection, Mourning in the Presence of a Corpse, appeared in 2008 from Dar al-Jadeed, Beirut, Lebanon. His third collection, Monastery of the Moon, was published by Dar al-Jadeed, Beirut, in 2102. A fourth collection, To Sing Away the Darkest Days — Poems Re-imagined from Yiddish Folksongs, was published in 2013 by Holland Park Press, London. His fifth collection, Stone. Bread. Salt. , was published by Holland Park Press in 2018. His fifth collection, Stone. Bread. Salt. , was published by Holland Park Press in 2018. A sixth collection, ‘Once Upon a Time in Aleppo’ is a bilingual collection of poems by Syrian poet Fouad M. Fouad, co-translated with the poet. Published by Hippocrates Press (UK), October 2020.

Poems online include “K. 525”, in Blackbird; “Lebanon”, in Szirine; “When I Married Her”, in Transparent Words; “Finnish Autumn”, in Poets of London; “The Empress of Certain” and “September”, in Winning Writers; and in The Horror Zine (November 2009 featured poet). Many poems have also appeared over the years at londongrip.co.uk.

Hirschhorn’s poems have also appeared in several anthologies, including Vital Signs – The UCLA Collection of Physicians’ Poetry (1990); Blood and Bone (University of Iowa Press, 1998); Primary Care: More Poems by Physicians (University of Iowa Press 2006); Highgate Poets Thirtieth Anniversary Anthology; The Shuffle; Torriano Nights (a Festschrift for John Rety); Poems for a Liminal Age (SPM Publications, 2015); The Poet’s Quest for God (Eyewear Publishing Ltd, March 2016); The Traveler’s Vade Mecum (Red Hen Press, 2016).

His poems have won prizes in several UK competitions, Essex Poetry Society, Ware Poets, Manchester Cathedral, Prospect Burma (International competition, first place), Poetry Kit (first place), Nottingham Open Poetry Competition, Frogmore Poetry Prize, In the US, a finalist in: the Chester H. Jones Foundation National Poetry Competition, the Southern Poetry Review Competition, the Anna Davidson Rosenberg Awards, Main Street Rag Annual Chapbook Competition, Stephen Spender Prize for translation.

His poems have appeared (or will appear) in the following journals in the US and UK (in alphabetic order)