Before, During, and After Poems

The title of Hal Sirowitz's new collection Before, During, and After, is all about the one word it elides: Sex. In this book, Sirowitz shares the ups and downs of his romantic history from adolescence to adulthood. Sometimes Hal strikes out, sometimes he gets lucky, but he kisses and tells in the inimitable Sirowitz style that has inspired hilarity and Hal-O-Mania from New York to Norway. And of course, his mother still has plenty to say on the subject.

Hal Sirowitz is an internationally known poet and the author of five books of poetry: Mother Said; My Therapist Said; Before, During and After; Father Said; and Stray Cat Blues. His work has been translated into thirteen languages and published in many anthologies and magazines. He was awarded the Nebraska Book Award for Poetry, a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, and a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship. He is also the former Poet Laureate of Queens, New York. Hal has performed and appeared on MTV’s "Spoken Word Unplugged"; Lollapalooza; Edinburgh’s Fringe Festival; the Helsinki International Poetry Festival; the Jerusalem Conference of Writers and Poets; PBS’s "Poetry Heaven"; NPR’s "All Things Considered"; PBS’s "The United States of Poetry" and "Fresh Air" with Terry Gross. Hal is a retired New York City public school teacher. He lives with his wife, the writer Minter Krotzer, in Philadelphia.