In The Margins E2: Running and Writing

E2 Guest: Poet Crystal Simone Smith

Crystal Simone Smith, poet and Managing Editor of Backbone Press,  discusses her new chapbook, “Running Music” (Longleaf Press, 2014) which explores her experiences as a  runner, family, and grief. As one who began writing professionally as an adult, Smith says, “It’s never too late to find poetry.”

Crystal Simone Smith was raised in Prince George’s County, Maryland and educated in North Carolina at Bennett College, UNC-Greensboro, and Queens University of Charlotte. She is also Managing Editor for Backbone Press and currently lives in Durham, NC, where she teaches Composition and Creative Writing. http://crystalsimonesmith.com

Podcast Notes

Inspirational Poets

• Lucille Clifton: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/lucille-clifton
• Sharon Olds: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/sharon-olds

Publications

Routes Home (Finishing Line Press) by Crystal Simone Smith
Finishing Line Press: https://finishinglinepress.com

Running Music (Longleaf Press) by Crystal Simone Smith
Longleaf Press: http://www.methodist.edu/longleaf/index.htm

Haiku Poetry Form

• Lenard D. Moore, poet: http://www.hsa-haiku.org/member/Meet-LenardMoore.htm
• Haiku Society of America: http://www.hsa-haiku.org

Inspirational Poetry

• “Mother to Son” Langston Hughes: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/177021
• Blacks by Gwendolyn Brooks: http://www.amazon.com/Blacks-Gwendolyn-Brooks/dp/0883781050

Crystal’s Book Recommendations

•  Mother Love by Rita Dove: http://books.wwnorton.com/books/Mother-Love/
  • Sonnet form: http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/text/poetic-form-sonnet
• What Work Is by Philip Levine: http://knopfdoubleday.com/book/100554/what-work-is/

North Carolina Poetry Networks

North Carolina Poetry Society: http://www.ncpoetrysociety.org