Aaron Smith Reading and Generative Workshop

March 21st, 2023

Coverage by Emma Reilly ‘23

Aaron Smith is a poet whose five poetry collections—“Blue on Blue Ground” (2005), “Appetite” (2012), “Primer” (2016), “The Book of Daniel” (2019), and “Stop Lying” (2023)—were all published by the University of Pittsburgh Press’s Pitt Poetry Series. His work appeared in publications like Ploughshares and Washington College’s own Cherry Tree. Smith came to the Rose O’Neill Literary House to deliver a reading, primarily of poems from his most recent book, on Tuesday, March 21st at 6 p.m. The reading, introduced by Associate Professor of English and Director of the Lit House Dr. James Allen Hall, was followed by a question-and-answer session and book signing. Likening his work to that of Sylvia Plath and Frank O’Hara, Dr. Hall said that Smith’s work is “frank about sex, loss, art, [and] grief.” At the reading, Smith chose to share a range of poems, including “Fourteen Mondays,” “Pray the Gay Away,” “The World of Men,” “My Father Gets in My Face,” and “Mom in Casket I Picked Out.” On Wednesday, March 22nd at 6 p.m., Smith returned to the Lit House to lead a generative workshop intended to “deconstruct any preconceived notions you may have about writing poems,” Dr. Hall said. In addition to writing poetry, Smith teaches creative writing at Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts and is a recipient of fellowships from the New York Foundation for the Arts and the Massachusetts Cultural Council.