Hollis Kurman was born in New York City and educated at the University of Pennsylvania (BA, summa cum laude, phi beta kappa) and the Georgetown School of Foreign Service (MSFS with honors).
Prior to publishing her debut poetry collection, Unlikely Skylight (Barrow Street Books), her poems appeared in Amsterdam Quarterly, Atlanta Review (International Poetry Competition finalist), Barrow Street (Pushcart nominee), Intima: A Journal of Narrative Medicine, Lilith, Ocean State Review, Phoebe, Rattle, and elsewhere. Her debut children’s picture book, Hello! (Otter-Barry Books) / Counting Kindness: Ten Ways to Welcome Refugee Children (Charlesbridge), is published in ten countries and seven languages. The book is endorsed by Amnesty International, was nominated for the Kate Greenaway Medal (UK) 2021 and the DC Library Association Three Stars Book Award, and won a Northern Lights Book Award. The second book in the series, Counting in Green: 10 Little Ways to Help Our Big Planet, launched internationally in 2023, with a third book anticipated in 2026. Hollis is an ‘alumna’ of multiple writing workshops at the Southampton Writers Conference, SCBWI, and the Highlights Foundation, and she has studied poetry with Sharon Olds and Daniel Hoffman.
In addition to her writing, Hollis serves on the Human Rights Watch Global Advisory Council for Women’s Rights and the Fulbright Commission NL Board. She is Chairperson of the Ivy Circle, has served on the Board of Trustees of Save the Children Netherlands, and moderates literary, academic, and business events. In a former life, Kurman had a distinguished career as a management consultant advising major multinational companies and cultural institutions in international growth strategy, marketing, and innovation – first with McKinsey & Co. and Publicis Consultants and then with Auberon, the international consultancy she founded and directed. She also conducted co-creation sessions with edge children, teens, and young influencers around the world for many years.
Hollis lives with her husband between Amsterdam and New York. She also dances, choreographs, and speaks English, Dutch, French and Italian.
Below are some of Hollis’ favorite reading, writing and thinking spots:
