Michael Salcman
Encyclopedia
Michael Salcman is an American
poet
and physician who lives in Baltimore, Maryland. His poetical work is infused and vivified by his medical profession, his love of and expertise in contemporary art, and by the fact that his parents were Holocaust survivors. His work is characterized by a lushness of diction, a strong moral focus, and a sense of playful imagery.
, and came to the United States in 1949. A graduate of the Combined Program in Liberal Arts and Medical Education at Boston University
(B.A. and M.D, both 1969), he trained in neurophysiology at the National Institutes of Health and in neurological surgery at Columbia University. He was chairman of neurosurgery
at the University of Maryland
from 1984 through 1991. He is the author of many medical and scientific papers. His art reviews and essays on the arts and sciences and the visual arts and the brain have appeared in Urbanite Magazine, Neurosurgery, Creative Non-Fiction and on-line sites such as www.PEEKreview.net and www.artbrain.org. He has also taught courses on the History of Contemporary Art at Roland Park Country School, the Contemporary Museum, and Towson University, and given seminars on the brain's visual system and art at the Cooper Union in New York and at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in Baltimore.
Salcman's earliest published poems date from 1963. His poems have been widely published in such journals as the "Alaska Quarterly Review", "Hopkins Review", Ontario Review, Harvard Review, Raritan, and "New York Quarterly. His poems have been heard on NPR's All Things Considered and in Euphoria an award-winning documentary on the brain and creativity. They have been nominated four times for a Pushcart Prize, once for a Best of The Web Award, and have appeared on Poetry Daily. Salcman is the author of the collection of poems, The Clock Made of Confetti (Orchises Press, Washington, D.C., 2007) and of four chapbooks: Plow Into Winter (Pudding House, 2003); The Color That Advances (Camber Press, 2003), A Season Like This (Finishing Line, 2004) and Stones in Our Pockets (Parallel Press, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2007). The Clock Made of Confetti was nominated for The Poets' Prize in 2009 and was a Finalist for The Towson Prize in Literature. "The Enemy of Good is Better" is forthcoming from Orchises in late 2010/2011.
His poetry, though lyrical, is dense with information about cultural history, art, metaphysics, and brain theory. His major themes and subject matter is family history and the Holocaust, experiences with patients, and his love of sailing and for the Chesapeake Bay. His work is characterized by careful attention to rhythm and internal music.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
and physician who lives in Baltimore, Maryland. His poetical work is infused and vivified by his medical profession, his love of and expertise in contemporary art, and by the fact that his parents were Holocaust survivors. His work is characterized by a lushness of diction, a strong moral focus, and a sense of playful imagery.
Biography
The son of Holocaust survivors, he was born in Pilsen, CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
, and came to the United States in 1949. A graduate of the Combined Program in Liberal Arts and Medical Education at Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
(B.A. and M.D, both 1969), he trained in neurophysiology at the National Institutes of Health and in neurological surgery at Columbia University. He was chairman of neurosurgery
Neurosurgery
Neurosurgery is the medical specialty concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, spine, spinal cord, peripheral nerves, and extra-cranial cerebrovascular system.-In the United States:In...
at the University of Maryland
University of Maryland, Baltimore
University of Maryland, Baltimore, was founded in 1807. It comprises some of the oldest professional schools in the nation and world. It is the original campus of the University System of Maryland. Located on 60 acres in downtown Baltimore, Maryland, it is part of the University System of Maryland...
from 1984 through 1991. He is the author of many medical and scientific papers. His art reviews and essays on the arts and sciences and the visual arts and the brain have appeared in Urbanite Magazine, Neurosurgery, Creative Non-Fiction and on-line sites such as www.PEEKreview.net and www.artbrain.org. He has also taught courses on the History of Contemporary Art at Roland Park Country School, the Contemporary Museum, and Towson University, and given seminars on the brain's visual system and art at the Cooper Union in New York and at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in Baltimore.
Salcman's earliest published poems date from 1963. His poems have been widely published in such journals as the "Alaska Quarterly Review", "Hopkins Review", Ontario Review, Harvard Review, Raritan, and "New York Quarterly. His poems have been heard on NPR's All Things Considered and in Euphoria an award-winning documentary on the brain and creativity. They have been nominated four times for a Pushcart Prize, once for a Best of The Web Award, and have appeared on Poetry Daily. Salcman is the author of the collection of poems, The Clock Made of Confetti (Orchises Press, Washington, D.C., 2007) and of four chapbooks: Plow Into Winter (Pudding House, 2003); The Color That Advances (Camber Press, 2003), A Season Like This (Finishing Line, 2004) and Stones in Our Pockets (Parallel Press, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2007). The Clock Made of Confetti was nominated for The Poets' Prize in 2009 and was a Finalist for The Towson Prize in Literature. "The Enemy of Good is Better" is forthcoming from Orchises in late 2010/2011.
His poetry, though lyrical, is dense with information about cultural history, art, metaphysics, and brain theory. His major themes and subject matter is family history and the Holocaust, experiences with patients, and his love of sailing and for the Chesapeake Bay. His work is characterized by careful attention to rhythm and internal music.