Rodney T. Smith (born 1947 in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

) is an American

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or wri ...

, fiction writer, and editor. The author of twelve poetry collections and a collection of short fiction, Smith is the editor of '' Shenandoah'', a prestigious literary journal published by

Washington and Lee University , mottoeng = "Not Unmindful of the Future" , established = , type = Private liberal arts university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.092 billion (2021) , president = William C. Dudley , provost = Lena Hill , city = Lexington ...

. His poetry and stories are identified with

Southern literature Southern United States literature consists of American literature written about the Southern United States or by writers from the region. Literature written about the American South first began during the colonial era, and developed significan ...

and have been published in magazines and

literary journals A literary magazine is a periodical devoted to literature in a broad sense. Literary magazines usually publish short stories, poetry, and essays, along with literary criticism, book reviews, biographical profiles of authors, interviews and letter ...

such as ''

The Atlantic Monthly ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...

'', ''

Poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...

'', ''

Southern Humanities Review ''Southern Humanities Review'' is a quarterly literary journal published by Auburn University. The current masthead consists of Anton DiScalfani and Rose McLarney (Co-Editors), Emma Brousseau (Managing Editor), Justin Gardiner (Nonfiction Editor), ...

'', and ''

The Kenyon Review ''The Kenyon Review'' is a literary magazine based in Gambier, Ohio, US, home of Kenyon College. ''The Review'' was founded in 1939 by John Crowe Ransom, critic and professor of English at Kenyon College, who served as its editor until 1959. ' ...

''.

Life

Rodney T. Smith grew up in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

and

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

. Smith received his higher education at

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

, the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...

, and Appalachian State University. He now lives in Rockbridge County,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

Academic and editing career

While at Appalachian State University, Smith founded ''Cold Mountain Review.'' He also taught for nineteen years as an English professor at Auburn University, where he was named an Alumni Writer-In-Residence. At Auburn Smith co-edited ''Southern Humanities Review''. He currently serves as editor of ''Shenandoah'', a prestigious literary journal published by

, where he also teaches creative writing and literature courses in the English Department. He teaches poetry and fiction in the Low-Residency MFA program in Creative Writing at Converse College.

Awards

Smith's writings have won the Pushcart Prize and been collected in

Best American Short Stories The Best American Short Stories yearly anthology is a part of '' The Best American Series'' published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Since 1915, the BASS anthology has striven to contain the best short stories by some of the best-known writers in co ...

and ''New Stories From the South''. He has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the North Carolina Arts Council, and the Alabama Council on the Arts (he also received the Alabama Governor's Award for Achievement by an Artist). Two of his poetry collections have been nominated for the

Pulitzer Prize for Poetry The Pulitzer Prize for Poetry is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes awarded annually for Letters, Drama, and Music. It was first presented in 1922, and is given for a distinguished volume of original verse by an American author, published ...

. Other awards include the Library of Virginia Poetry Prize and the

Maurice English Poetry Award Maurice may refer to: People *Saint Maurice (died 287), Roman legionary and Christian martyr *Maurice (emperor) or Flavius Mauricius Tiberius Augustus (539–602), Byzantine emperor * Maurice (bishop of London) (died 1107), Lord Chancellor and L ...

Bibliography

Selected poetry collections

* ''Outlaw Style: Poems'' (Arkansas Poetry Series, 2007) * ''The Hollow Log Lounge'' (University of Illinois Press, 2003). Winner of the 2004 Maurice English Poetry Award. * ''Brightwood'' (Louisiana State University Press, 2003) * ''Messenger'' (Louisiana State University Press, 2001). Winner of the Library of Virginia Poetry Prize. * ''Split the Lark: Selected Poems'' (1999) * ''Trespasser'' (1996). Nominated for the

. * ''Hunter-Gatherer'' (Livingston University Press, 1996) * ''The Cardinal Heart'' (1991). Nominated for the

. * ''From the High Dive'' (1983)

Fiction

* ''Faith: Stories'' (Black Belt Press, 1995) * ''Uke Rivers Delivers: Stories'' (Yellow Shoe Press, 2006) * ''The Calaboose Epistles'' (Iris Press, 2009)

As editor

* ''Common Wealth: Contemporary Poets of Virginia'' (2003, with Sarah Kennedy).

References

External links

Shenandoah: The Washington and Lee University Review
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, R. T. American male poets 1947 births Living people Georgia Tech alumni Washington and Lee University faculty University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni Appalachian State University alumni Auburn University faculty