Ellen Hirning Schmidt

After retiring from a crisis center in 2006,

Ellen Hirning Schmidt designed and has taught

Writing through the Rough Spots. More than

100 students from across the U.S & 15 countries

and at Cornell University, have participated

in her workshops. Each summer she leads

week long writing circles on Star Island, NH.

She is a recipient of the Helen Kay Poetry

Chapbook Prize, a Pushcart nomination, a

Connecticut Poetry Society Award, and named

a finalist in the 2023 American Writers Review.

Armed to the Teeth was her first full-length

collection (Antrim House 2023).

She submitted her poems for publication for

the first time when she turned 70.

Since then, her poems have appeared widely.

A mother and grandmother, she lives in

Ithaca, NY with her husband.