Robert Hershon, born and raised in Brooklyn

Brooklyn

Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...

, is a poet

Poet

A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...

 and the author of twelve books. His most recent book is Calls from the Outside World.

Life

He has published twelve books of poetry. Most recently, Into the Punch Line: Poems 1984-1994 (1994), The German Lunatic (2000), and Calls from the Outside World (2006). His work has appeared in the American Poetry Review, Poetry Northwest, the World, Michigan Quarterly, Ploughshares, and The Nation, among many others.

He is also the recipient of various awards, including two creative writing fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts

National Endowment for the Arts

The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...

. He works as the executive director of the Print Center and as a co-editor of Hanging Loose Press and Hanging Loose magazine in Brooklyn, NY. He has edited various collections, including Smart Like Me and Shooting the Rat, collections of High School writing.

He lives in Brooklyn, NY, with his wife Donna Brook.