Helen Degen Cohen was born Halina “Halinka” Degenfisz on November 19, 1934 in the town of Grojec, located near Warsaw, Poland. A Holocaust survivor, Helen was kept in hiding during World War II by Maria Szumska. Helen and her parents Joseph Degen and Bluma “Bella” (Dreyer) Degen later settled in Chicago. Helen graduated from Roosevelt High School, and later from Trinity University and University of Illinois Circle Campus. She married Arnold Lewis Cohen, with whom she had three children – Richard Scott, Daniel, and Laura. She later married Donald Neil Memmer, who preceded her in death.
Helen had a long career as a writer and educator. She was a co-founder and continuing editor of the RHINO Poetry Journal, which next year celebrates its 40th anniversary. She was an elementary school teacher, taught college classes, and toured the State of Illinois as an Illinois Artist-in-Residence. An acclaimed writer of poetry, short stories, and novels, Helen received many prizes and awards, including the Paladin Award for extraordinary long-term contribution to poetry in Illinois. She leaves behind a vast body of literature, some of which will be published in the coming years.
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