FrancEyE
Encyclopedia
Biography
Frances Dean Smith was born Frances Elizabeth Dean, in San Rafael, CaliforniaSan Rafael, California
San Rafael is a city and the county seat of Marin County, California, United States. The city is located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area...
, on March 19, 1922. During her childhood her family moved to the East Coast, where she grew up.
She married Wray Smith while living on the East Coast and had four daughters. They were eventually divorced and she returned to California in 1963.
She was closely associated with the Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
poetry community. She is also noted for her relationship with poet Charles Bukowski
Charles Bukowski
Henry Charles Bukowski was an American poet, novelist and short story writer. His writing was influenced by the social, cultural and economic ambience of his home city of Los Angeles...
, with whom she had her fifth daughter and his only child, Marina Louise Bukowski. Charles Bukowski wrote a poem about Frances which has been used as a eulogy, "One for Old Snaggle-Tooth" (1977).
She died from complications of a hip fracture
Hip fracture
A hip fracture is a femoral fracture that occurs in the proximal end of the femur , near the hip.The term "hip fracture" is commonly used to refer to four different fracture patterns and is often due to osteoporosis; in the vast majority of cases, a hip fracture is a fragility fracture due to a...
in Marin General Hospital in Greenbrae, California
Greenbrae, California
Greenbrae is a small community in Marin County, California. It is located south-southeast of downtown San Rafael, at an elevation of 33 feet , located adjacent to U.S. Route 101 at the opening of the Ross Valley. Part of Greenbrae is an unincorporated community of the county while the remaining...
, early on June 2, 2009.
Works
- Four Poets, (Ruth Wire, Grace Bogart, Joanne Stell, S.S.Veri), written under the pseudonym S.S. Veri
- Snaggletooth in Ocean Park, poems, 1996 (The Sacred Beverage Press)
- Amber Spider, poems, 2004 (Pearl Press)
- Grandma Stories, short stories (with drawings by Tim Donnelly), 2008
- Call, poems, 2009 (Rose of Sharon Press)
Film appearances
- Bukowski: Born Into This (2003) Documentary on Charles BukowskiCharles BukowskiHenry Charles Bukowski was an American poet, novelist and short story writer. His writing was influenced by the social, cultural and economic ambience of his home city of Los Angeles...
. - Graffiti Verité 6: "The Odyssey: Poets Passion & Poetry" (2006)