Larry R. Smith
Encyclopedia
Larry R. Smith was born in Mingo Junction, Ohio
in 1943 and graduated from Mingo High School in 1961, Muskingum College
in 1965, then on to Kent State University
in Ohio for a masters and doctorate in American and Contemporary World Literature. His thesis work was on Sherwood Anderson
and Kenneth Patchen
, fellow Ohio writers. Smith is a poet, fiction writer, literary biographer, translator, essayist and reviewer. He has taught at Bowling Green State University
's Firelands College since 1970. The author has received an Ohio Arts Council
Writing Fellowship and an Ohioana Citation for his contribution to poetry in Ohio. He also has received a National Endowment for the Humanities
summer grant and a Fulbright Teaching Lectureship
to Italy.
Mingo Junction, Ohio
Mingo Junction is a village in Jefferson County, Ohio, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 3,631 at the 2000 census. In 1900, its only manufacturing plant was a steel mill owned by Carnegie Steel Company...
in 1943 and graduated from Mingo High School in 1961, Muskingum College
Muskingum College
Muskingum University is a private four-year comprehensive college with a strong liberal arts tradition located in New Concord, Ohio, approximately sixty miles east of the state capital of Columbus. Founded in 1837, Muskingum University is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church , although since the...
in 1965, then on to Kent State University
Kent State University
Kent State University is a public research university located in Kent, Ohio, United States. The university has eight campuses around the northeast Ohio region with the main campus in Kent being the largest...
in Ohio for a masters and doctorate in American and Contemporary World Literature. His thesis work was on Sherwood Anderson
Sherwood Anderson
Sherwood Anderson was an American novelist and short story writer. His most enduring work is the short story sequence Winesburg, Ohio. Writers he has influenced include Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, John Steinbeck, J. D. Salinger, and Amos Oz.-Early life:Anderson was born in Clyde, Ohio,...
and Kenneth Patchen
Kenneth Patchen
Kenneth Patchen was an American poet and novelist. Though he denied any direct connection, Patchen's work and ideas regarding the role of artists paralleled those of the Dadaists, the Beats, and Surrealists...
, fellow Ohio writers. Smith is a poet, fiction writer, literary biographer, translator, essayist and reviewer. He has taught at Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green State University, often referred to as Bowling Green or BGSU, is a public, coeducational research university located in Bowling Green, Ohio, United States. The institution was granted a charter in 1910 by the State of Ohio as part of the Lowry Bill, which also established Kent State...
's Firelands College since 1970. The author has received an Ohio Arts Council
Ohio Arts Council
The Ohio Arts Council is an agency serving the U.S. state of Ohio.Established in 1965, its mission is to "foster and encourage the development of the arts and assist the preservation of Ohio's cultural heritage." Each year it awards grants to arts organizations and individuals throughout the state...
Writing Fellowship and an Ohioana Citation for his contribution to poetry in Ohio. He also has received a National Endowment for the Humanities
National Endowment for the Humanities
The National Endowment for the Humanities is an independent federal agency of the United States established by the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965 dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities. The NEH is located at...
summer grant and a Fulbright Teaching Lectureship
Fulbright Program
The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright-Hays Program, is a program of competitive, merit-based grants for international educational exchange for students, scholars, teachers, professionals, scientists and artists, founded by United States Senator J. William Fulbright in 1946. Under the...
to Italy.
Books
- " Mingo Junction". Arcadia Publishing 2011
- Tu Fu Comes to America: A Story in Poems. March Street Press 2010
- The Long River Home: A Novel. Working Lives Series, Bottom Dog Press 2009
- The Kanshi Poems of Taigu Ryokan, trans. by Larry Smith and Mei Hui Liu Huang. Bottom Dog Press 2008.
- Faces and Voices: Tales. Bird Dog Publishing 2006.
- A River Remains: Poems. WordTech Publishing 2006.
- Milldust & Roses: Memoirs. Ridgeway Press 2005; second edition Bottom Dog Press 2005.
- Thoreau's Lost Journal: Poems by Larry Smith. Westron Press, 2001.
- Kenneth Patchen: Rebel Poet in America. A Consortium of Small Presses, 2000. Biography.
- Chinese Zen Poems: What Hold Has This Mountain? trans. Bottom Dog Press, 1998.
- Working It Out (novel) Ridgeway Press, 1998.
- Beyond Rust: Novella and Stories. Bottom Dog Press, 1995.
- Steel Valley: Postcards and Letters (Poems). Pig Iron Press, 1992.
- Ohio Zen Poems with d. steven conkle (A Twinbook) Bottom Dog Press, 1989.
- Across These States (Journal Poem) Bottom Dog Press, 1985.
- Scissors, Paper, Rock (Prose Poems) Cleveland State University Poetry Center, 1982.
- Echo Without Sound (Poems with Etchings by Stephen Smigocki) Northwoods Press, 1982.
- Lawrence Ferlinghetti: Poet-at-Large (Literary biography) Southern Illinois University Press, 1983.
- Kenneth Patchen (Literary biography) Twayne Series, G.K.Hall Publishers, 1978
Films
Two docu-drama video programs, written, co-directed and co-produced with Tom Koba; funded through Ohio Humanities Council and Ohio Arts Council:- James Wright's Ohio (30 minutes, 1986–1987)
- Kenneth Patchen: An Art of Engagement (30 and 45 minutes, 1987–1988)
- DVD double program: d.a.levy: Cleveland Rebel Poet of the Mimeograph Revolution (Interview with Ed Sanders/ Memorial Reading at levyfest 2005).