Shirley Sorensen Hinz is an author, poet, and lyricist whose writing reflects her lifelong interest in faith, family, ethics, cultural change, and the values that connect generations.

Shirley began receiving national recognition for her poetry in 1996. At the Annual Famous Poets Society Convention in Anaheim, California, she received the Diamond Homer Award for Literary Achievement and read her poem “This Child in Me.”

Her poetry has appeared in 11 national publications, including works published by Noble House in London and New York. She received an Editor’s Choice Award for Outstanding Achievement in Poetry from the National Library of Poetry, and her work appeared in the anthology Beyond the Stars, which is held by the Library of Congress.

The International Society of Poets elected Shirley to the International Poetry Hall of Fame Museum. She has also received four National Merit Awards for her literary accomplishments and is a member of the Academy of American Poets. Her biography has appeared in the 26th edition of Marquis Who’s Who in the West and Who’s Who of American Women.

While employed by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Shirley wrote “A Tribute to Mollie Beattie” following the passing of the first female director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The poem was published in the Department of the Interior newspaper People, Land and Water. Shirley was also nominated for the honorary position of Colorado Poet Laureate.