Ellen Hirning Schmidt first submitted poems for publication when she turned 70 in 2017. She has received the Helen Kay Chapbook Prize, a Pushcart nomination, and a Connecticut Poetry Society Award. Her poems have appeared widely. Her chapbook, Oh, say did you know, is available through Evening Street Press. After retiring from a crisis center, Schmidt designed Writing Through the Rough Spots, a class enabling students to create clarity about life challenges through writing. Her students range widely in age and have come from across the U.S. and 15 countries. She leads workshops online and at Star island, NH. A mother and grandmother, Ellen lives with her husband Oskar in Ithaca, NY.