Remembering Hal Sirowitz

The editors of Bellevue Literary Review were saddened to hear of the death of Hal Sirowitz, who passed away on October 17, 2025, of complications of Parkinson’s disease. An internationally known poet and former Poet Laureate of Queens, New York, Hal was the author of five books of poetry, including Mother Said,My Therapist Said, and Stray Cat Blues.

It can be challenging to find humor in a literary journal devoted to illness and disease, but Hal Sirowitz somehow managed to unearth the irony and wit embedded in even the weightiest of topics. With deceptively simple language, his poetry elicits flashes of recognition and a wry smile, without ever belittling the subject or circumstance of the poem. It’s little wonder that Hal turned out to be our most published poet—his poems appeared in eight separate issues of BLR!

We were fortunate to cross paths with Hal in person over the years, both at our readings at Bellevue Hospital and at the AWP conference, where he participated in a panel with other BLR authors. Most recently, he collaborated with BLR for Poetry & Parkinson’s, which included a screening of the short documentary Hal and Minter.

Hal will be sorely missed.

~~Danielle Ofri, editor-in-chief

Hal reads his poetry at BLR’s 10th anniversary celebration in 2011, bringing a smile to the face of a healthcare worker at Bellevue Hospital.

“Choice Of Diseases”
by Hal Sirowitz, from BLR Issue 6

Now that I’m sick & have
all this time to contemplate
the meaning of the universe,
Father said, I understand why
I never did it before. Nothing
looks good from a prone position.
You have to walk around to appreciate
things. Once I get better I don’t
intend to get sick for a while. But
if I do I hope I get one of those diseases
you can walk around with.

Two of Hal’s BLR poems explore the experience of living with Parkinson’s. Read them here: “The Speed of Mice” and “Learning New Words.”