Charlie Smith (June 20, 1956 — 8 November 2005) was

Romnichal Romanichal Travellers ( ; more commonly known as English Gypsies or English Travellers) are a Romani subgroup within the United Kingdom and other parts of the English-speaking world. There are an estimated 200,000 Romani in the United Kingdom ...

poet who had a booklet of his poems published in the 1980s, which included the acclaimed "Space Gypsies" poem. He was from a family of tailors, his schooling was not good and he left early, thinking himself semi-illiterate. He is a member of the International Romani Writers' Association, IRWA (Kansainvälinen Romanikirjailijaliitto)

Politics

He was a member of the Labour party in Britain and was a sitting councillor, and a commissioner on the

Commission for Racial Equality The Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) was a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom which aimed to address racial discrimination and promote racial equality. The commission was established in 1976, and disbanded in 2007 when its ...

Books and films

*''The Spirit of the Flame'' (1990) - Book *''Not all Waggons and Lanes'' (1995) - Book *''Footsteps in the Sand'' (2004) - Film

External links

* 1956 births 2005 deaths English Romani people Romani poets Romanichal Romani politicians Mayors of places in Essex English male poets 20th-century English poets 20th-century English male writers {{UK-poet-stub