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.'"
Reuben Jackson and Rose Solari to Read at the American Poetry Museum
Reuben Jackson and Rose Solari will be reading together at the American Poetry Museum on Dec 14th. But their history of reading together doesn’t start there.
Incoming: Early 2020 will be the first ASP Open Submission Period
This new year, we want your unpublished poetry and novel manuscripts!
A Writer’s Legacy: The Mission Behind the Peabody Reader and The Legacy Series
The small press world can be incredibly difficult for the lifelong writer. To publish your works and to watch them fall into “out of print” status due to the vagaries of an industry is not fair to the author nor their art. That is why ASP is rethinking how to publish writers who’ve established themselves in the independent community.