Sylvia Byrne Pollack

Sylvia Byrne Pollack was raised in a music-loving family in Batavia, NY. In the wake of Sputnik, she chose to study science. She earned a B.A. in Zoology from Syracuse University, a Ph.D. in Developmental Biology from the University of Pennsylvania and a M.A. in psychology from Antioch University-Seattle. She is Research Professor Emeritus after a long career in cancer research at the University of Washington. Following a trip to Antarctica in 2007, Sylvia began to focus on poetry. Her poems appear in Floating Bridge Review, Crab Creek Review, Clover, and Antiphon among other print and online journals. She is a two-time Pushcart nominee, won the 2013 Mason’s Road Winter Literary Award, was a 2019 Jack Straw Writer and a 2021 Mineral School resident. She lives in Seattle, WA. About Sylvia Pollack’s book “Risking It”: “These smart, funny, beautifully crafted poems show us a whole life lived wholeheartedly…” – Sharon Bryan, author of Sharp Stars.