Ron Smith (American poet)
Encyclopedia
Ron Smith is an American poet and the first writer-in-residence at the St. Christopher's School
in Richmond, Virginia
.
He is the author of Running Again in Hollywood Cemetery and Moon Road. Together with Elizabeth Seydel Morgan, he was one of the first two winners of the Carole Weinstein Poetry Prize, given to poets associated with central Virginia
. He is now one of the "curators" of the prize.
Smith's poems have appeared in periodicals, including The Nation
, Kenyon Review, New England Review, and in anthologies from Wesleyan University Press, Time-Life Books, University of Virginia Press, University of Georgia Press, and University of Illinois Press.
His essay-reviews have appeared in The Kenyon Review and other magazines and reference works, most recently in The Georgia Review
, Blackbird: an online journal of literature and the arts, and H-Arete. He is the regular poetry reviewer for The Richmond Times-Dispatch.
He is a former president of the Poetry Society of Virginia. Smith is a trustee for the Edgar Allan Poe Museum and sits on the board of directors for James River Writers.
, Smith moved to Richmond, Virginia, to play college football (some of his poems are about sports). He holds degrees (B.A., M.A., M.H., M.F.A.) from the University of Richmond
and Virginia Commonwealth University
in philosophy, English, general humanities, and creative writing. He has studied creative writing at Bennington College
in Vermont, British drama at Worcester College, Oxford University, and Renaissance and modern culture and literature at the Ezra Pound Center for Literature in Meran, Italy
.
He has taught creative writing (poetry, fiction, drama), twentieth century American poetry, and the life and works of Edgar Allan Poe
at Mary Washington College, Virginia Commonwealth University, and the University of Richmond.
Ron Smith is the current Writer in Residence at St. Christopher's School
.
St. Christopher's School, Richmond
St. Christopher’s School, founded in 1911, is a college preparatory school for boys located in Richmond, Virginia. A program of coordination with nearby St. Catherine's School allows a broader selection of courses at the Upper School level, taught in coeducational classes on both campuses...
in Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
.
He is the author of Running Again in Hollywood Cemetery and Moon Road. Together with Elizabeth Seydel Morgan, he was one of the first two winners of the Carole Weinstein Poetry Prize, given to poets associated with central Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. He is now one of the "curators" of the prize.
Smith's poems have appeared in periodicals, including The Nation
The Nation
The Nation is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. The periodical, devoted to politics and culture, is self-described as "the flagship of the left." Founded on July 6, 1865, It is published by The Nation Company, L.P., at 33 Irving Place, New York City.The Nation...
, Kenyon Review, New England Review, and in anthologies from Wesleyan University Press, Time-Life Books, University of Virginia Press, University of Georgia Press, and University of Illinois Press.
His essay-reviews have appeared in The Kenyon Review and other magazines and reference works, most recently in The Georgia Review
The Georgia Review
The Georgia Review is an award-winning, nationally respected literary journal founded in 1947 that includes poetry, art, fiction, essays and reviews. It won the National Magazine Award for Fiction in 1986 and the National Magazine Award for Essay in 2007...
, Blackbird: an online journal of literature and the arts, and H-Arete. He is the regular poetry reviewer for The Richmond Times-Dispatch.
He is a former president of the Poetry Society of Virginia. Smith is a trustee for the Edgar Allan Poe Museum and sits on the board of directors for James River Writers.
Life
Born in Savannah, GeorgiaSavannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
, Smith moved to Richmond, Virginia, to play college football (some of his poems are about sports). He holds degrees (B.A., M.A., M.H., M.F.A.) from the University of Richmond
University of Richmond
The University of Richmond is a selective, private, nonsectarian, liberal arts university located on the border of the city of Richmond and Henrico County, Virginia. The University of Richmond is a primarily undergraduate, residential university with approximately 4,000 undergraduate and graduate...
and Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth University is a public university located in Richmond, Virginia. It comprises two campuses in the Downtown Richmond area, the product of a merger between the Richmond Professional Institute and the Medical College of Virginia in 1968...
in philosophy, English, general humanities, and creative writing. He has studied creative writing at Bennington College
Bennington College
Bennington College is a liberal arts college located in Bennington, Vermont, USA. The college was founded in 1932 as a women's college and became co-educational in 1969.-History:-Early years:...
in Vermont, British drama at Worcester College, Oxford University, and Renaissance and modern culture and literature at the Ezra Pound Center for Literature in Meran, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
He has taught creative writing (poetry, fiction, drama), twentieth century American poetry, and the life and works of Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
at Mary Washington College, Virginia Commonwealth University, and the University of Richmond.
Ron Smith is the current Writer in Residence at St. Christopher's School
St. Christopher's School, Richmond
St. Christopher’s School, founded in 1911, is a college preparatory school for boys located in Richmond, Virginia. A program of coordination with nearby St. Catherine's School allows a broader selection of courses at the Upper School level, taught in coeducational classes on both campuses...
.
Poetry books
- 19881988 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* The first annual The Best American Poetry volume is published this year....
: 'Running Again in Hollywood Cemetery, called "a close second" by Margaret AtwoodMargaret AtwoodMargaret Eleanor Atwood, is a Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, and environmental activist. She is among the most-honoured authors of fiction in recent history; she is a winner of the Arthur C...
, judge for the National Poetry Series Open Competition; also a runner-up for the Samuel French Morse Prize; title poem awarded Southern Poetry Review's Guy Owen Award by judge Linda Pastanlater; published by University Presses of Florida; ISBN 978-0-8130-0881-3 - 20072007 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* March 5: a car bomb was exploded on Mutanabbi Street in Baghdad. More than 30 people were killed and more than 100 were wounded. This locale is the historic center of Baghdad bookselling, a winding...
: Moon Road: Poems 1986-2005, Louisiana State University Press, 72 pp, ISBN 978-0-8071-3271-5
Other poetry
His 18-poem sequence "To Ithaca" appeared in the Summer 2002 issue of The Georgia Review.Awards and recognitions
His awards and honors include:- Theodore Roethke Poetry Prize from the Poetry Northwest
- Guy Owen Poetry Prize
- Virginia Center for the Creative Arts Fellowship
External links
- Poem: "Via Appia"
- Poems: "Striking Out My Son in the Father-Son Game", "Leaving Forever", "Objectivity", "In the Old City"
- "Blackbird: an online journal of literature and the arts"
- Poems: "Coaching Pitchers" and "Double"
- Poem: "Edward Teller's Leg"
- Poem: "Campidoglio"
- Essay-review from The Georgia Review, "Old New Critics"
- Two poems set in the city of Rome