Elizabeth Hazen Interviews Dean Smith, Author of Baltimore Sons
Elizabeth Hazen sits down with fellow Baltimore poet Dean Smith for the Baltimore Fishbowl
Introduction authored by Elizabeth Hazen for the Baltimore Fishbowl:
"Dean Bartoli Smith’s second poetry collection, Baltimore Sons, paints a brutally honest portrait of Charm City – a place bursting with personality and charm, but also marred by poverty and violence. In these poems, readers will find neighborhoods filled with vibrant people who, along with the city itself, have shaped the speaker’s perspective.
Smith’s poems range from snapshots of childhood pastimes and homages to iconic Baltimoreans to missives about gun violence and even poems from the weapons’ perspectives. Despite the grit and realism in his work, Smith never despairs, instead highlighting the humanity that ultimately redeems the city and its residents. According to Smith, 'No one really knows what to make of native Baltimoreans. The city remains a wildcard that’s hard to define,' but through these poems, Smith has certainly given us a powerful representation.
A Baltimore native with a background in reporting and a journalistic eye for detail, Smith has written a collection that is accessible, heartbreaking, and 'the most painful love letter I’ve ever written.'"
Live from the Reading Room Episode 4 (THE HISTORIES)
In this edition of “Live From the Reading Room”, James J. Patterson reads from three histories, Will and Ariel Durrant’s “The Life of Greece,” Edward Gibbon’s “Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire”, and Leo Damrosch’s “The Club.”
He also reads “The Conjecture Chamber” from his first collection of essays BERMUDA SHORTS
New Review of Scattered Clouds Raves “SC is one I return to again and again”
Reuben jackson recieves another glowing review for his collection “Scattered Clouds.”
Rose Reads Episode 4 (Myths and Retellings)
In this episode of Rose Reads, poet Rose Solari talks re-telling poems – by Louise Gluck, Derek Walcott, Anne Sexton, and herself.