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Sean Kirst

Sean Kirst is a columnist with The Central Current. He has been an Upstate journalist for more than 50 years. He held his first reporting job as a teenager and worked for newspapers in Dunkirk, Niagara Falls, Rochester and Syracuse, where he spent 27 years before joining the Buffalo News in 2016.

He is the recipient of many national and state journalism awards, including the Ernie Pyle Award, given annually to one American journalist for writing about the dreams and struggles of everyday people. He received the national excellence in column writing award from the Society for Professional Journalists, Capitolbeat's top national award for column writing about state government and the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence national media award. Between 2016 and 2025, in Buffalo, he received the New York News Publishers Association distinguished column writing award eight times, often in its largest circulation category.

Kirst, who serves as a journalist-in-residence at Le Moyne College, was named a civic Wisdom Keeper by FOCUS Greater Syracuse and his name was placed on a Wall of Distinction by the Syracuse Press Club for lifetime achievement in journalism. Kirst has been honored by the federal Department of Justice for sensitivity to victims of violent crime. He has received honorary degrees from Le Moyne and Onondaga Community College, and was honored by SUNY Fredonia in 2022 for outstanding achievement by alumni. He is a recipient of the Onondaga Historical Association medal, the OHA's highest award for preserving and interpreting local heritage.

Kirst, a TedX speaker, has given many talks about the importance of storytelling in journalism, especially in a digital age, and he is the author of three books: The Ashes of Lou Gehrig, Moonfixer, and The Soul of Central New York, published in 2016, the fastest-selling book in the more-than-80-year history of the Syracuse University Press. The England-based Tolkien Society credits Kirst with serving as founder of international Tolkien Reading Day, now celebrated around the world.

Kirst and his wife Nora, a retired city schoolteacher, have three grown children: Sarah, Seamus and Liam.

Sean can be reached at skirst@centralcurrent.org

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