Lyn Lifshin ’60 says that her proudest accomplishment is her books and it is easy to see why. Lifshin has published over 130 books and chapbooks, including six in just the last two years. Lifshin, who graduated with an English major from the College of Arts and Sciences, has been praised for her excellence in writing, especially poetry. She attributes much of her success to her days as a student and aspiring writer at Syracuse University.

“I was truly inspired by my professors,” Lifshin says. “They made me want to explore and travel. Their emphasis on imagination and wonder really influenced me. I also loved the art and music courses. I still have and refer to one of my textbooks, Arts and Ideas by William Fleming, my Comstock Ave address printed on the inside flap.”

Syracuse University positively impacted Lifshin in other ways as well. Lifshin’s first of many published poems appeared in Syracuse 10, a former literary journal on campus. She also remembers the personal growth that she went through by attending Syracuse University.

“Coming from a small hometown, Syracuse was delightfully diverse. There was a richness of cultural events and a variety of guest speakers. I enjoyed going to see some of the art and theater performed in Syracuse, although between classes and papers there never seemed to be much free time.”

Lifshin shows no signs of slowing down, publishing several books in the last few years. Secretariat: The Red Freak, The Miracle (Texas Review Press 2014) tells the story of the award winning horse from his birth to his death. Malala (Poetic Matrix Press 2014) tells the story, through a collection of poems, of the young Pakistani girl almost killed for wanting to go to school. A Girl Goes into the Woods (NYQ Books 2013) is another collection of poems on varied subjects. Tangled as the Alphabet: The Istanbul Poems (NightBallet Press 2013) contains photos and poems from a recent trip to Turkey. Knife Edge and Absinthe: The Tango Poems (NightBallet Press 2012) consists of a series of poems inspired by the Argentine tango.