Ali F. Bilir is a poet, author

Author

An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...

 and critic

Critic

A critic is anyone who expresses a value judgement. Informally, criticism is a common aspect of all human expression and need not necessarily imply skilled or accurate expressions of judgement. Critical judgements, good or bad, may be positive , negative , or balanced...

, and an active member of Turkish Authors Association. He attended the School of Medicine for a year, but graduated from the Faculty of Pharmacy

Pharmacy

Pharmacy is the health profession that links the health sciences with the chemical sciences and it is charged with ensuring the safe and effective use of pharmaceutical drugs...

, University of Istanbul, in 1969.

During his university years, he worked part-time at a tourist youth hostel in Istanbul as a reception clerk and later as a manager. In 1967, as an adventure, he toured Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

 and North Africa, mainly on foot. For a while, he lived in Essex

Essex

Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...

 and London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 to improve his English language skills, doing odd jobs such as picking fruit from trees, washing dishes and serving as a waiter at restaurants. He participated in the student and youth movements of 1968.

His poems, short stories and articles on various subjects have been published in local, regional, national, and international periodicals, magazines, and journals. His work has won many awards. Ali F. Bilir's last poetry book "Migration Ballads" is being granted by the Turkish government as one of the significant examples of Turkish written heritage. Migration Ballads is published by Plain View Press, U.S.A, in 2008, within the scope of TEDA project.

Ali F. Bilir is also a member of Turkish Authors Association (Edebiyatçılar Derneği), Turkish Writers Syndicate (Türkiye Yazarlar Sendikası), Big Bend Poets chapter of the Florida State Poets Association (http://www.floridastatepoetsassociation.com).

Awards

Ali F.Bilir's poems, short stories and articles on various subjects have been published in local, regional, national, and international periodicals, magazines, and journals. He has received many awards:

• 1990, Günes Magazine (Sweden), fiction story award, 3rd place
• 1993, Orhan Kemal
  Orhan Kemal
  Orhan Kemal is the pen name of Turkish novelist Mehmet Raşit Öğütçü. He is known for his realist novels that tells the stories of the poor in Turkey....
  
  fiction story award, 3rd place
• 1996, Ibrahim Yildiz poetry award, Honorable Mention for the book of Göç Türküsü (Migration Ballads)
• 1998, Samim Kocagöz fiction story award, 2nd place
• 2004, S. Avni Olez poetry award, Jury Special Prize, for the poetry book of Güz Animsamalari (Autumn Reminiscences)
• 2008, The people who make impressions on Mersin, awarded by the Mersin Governor's Office and the University of Mersin