 |
About the Poet
|
Monica Ellen Smith has written poetry since 1991. She is an Author's Den poet . She is listed in the Poets & Writers Directory of American Poets and Fiction Writers, The Academy of American Poets; the Ohio Arts Council Directory of Ohio Creative Writers and The Internet Directory of Published Writers (WritersNet) . She has recently been asked to list her site with Dee Rimbaud's Independent Press Guide site. She has also been asked to become a member of the World Poets Society .
She resides in West Liberty, Ohio and her work has been published internationally in print/online magazines ( The Fairfield Review; Carnelian; Voices; Lucid Moon; Folly; Poetry Life and Times; Limestone Circle; High Horse Poetry Magazine; Poesy; Amaze--The Cinquain Journal; Lummox; Muse Apprentice Guild (M.A.G.) etc.).
Monica's poems have also been published in Great Britain ( Comrades), in the Canadian anthology, "Messages in a Silenced Hush" from the Georgian Blue Poetry Society, and the Indian anthology "Taj Mahal Review". Some of her poems were included in the Lummox Press publication "Maytag Heights", in an effort to raise funds for Habitat for Humanity. In 2003 her work appeared in the “Dream Whispers” anthology from Scroll Publications, and she was also accepted into the 2003 CD-Rom anthology, “Crystal Dawn" , from Kedco Studios Artist Profile Press. The CD may be purchased at http://www.artvilla.com/kedco-ap/
More recently, her work was included in the Poet Works Press anthologies "A Nickel's Worth Of Dreams" in May 2004 and "For Better of For Worse" in January 2005, and the November 2004 anthology "Spirit of Strength" from Voices Literary Magazine, which was published to aid the Cancer Society. It is available at Barnes and Noble and Amazon, online. Two of her poems have also been accepted for the 2006 release of Washing the Color of Water Golden , a Hurricane Katrina Anthology from The Sun Rising Poetry Press .
Monica was invited to submit to The Other Voices International Project, where her collection of 6 poems were accepted into volume 19, spring 2006.
A letter to her (deceased) father was purchased for a collection entitled “ CeLebrations—Notes to My Father” — release date undetermined-- an event of The Dawkins Project, created to help children. The book can be purchased through the Dawkins website.
Monica has also had her poems purchased to appear in the following two books by June Cotner:
Monica has two poetry collections available,
"Days of Fine Gray Ash" , is a collection of poems regarding the many nuances of love. The book has been endorsed by Poet Nikki Giovanni; it can be purchased by contacting Monica directly or through the Author's Den. To read more about the book, you may visit http://purplequill.com/days.htm . Her second book, "Kindred: a Family Portrait", was published by iuniverse.com and is also available at Barnes and Noble (online) and amazon.com. It is a collection of poetry regarding man's relationship with nature.
Monica enjoys reading and exploring her family ancestry, as well as her new-found love of photography, which she calls "silent poetry". She has been experimenting with creating Haiku-Photography, a form which has recently risen from the original Haiga (Haiku Painting). Two of her Haiku-Photography poems were published in the February 2008 issue of "Sketchbook -- A Journal for Eastern and Western Short Forms".
In 2009, Monica was asked by the chaplain at Mt. Carmel Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio (where she works) to create a photographic work depicting the rhythms and harmony of birth and death. The posters were well-received and will hang in the palliative care unit at Mt. Carmel.
Monica's photography credits include publication in:
The Circle
Voices Literary Magazine
Poesy
Harvests of New Millennium (soft cover and hard cover anthology)
The Sidewalk's End (now defunct)
A WORD FROM MONICA
I love the poetry of Carl Sandburg , e.e. cummings , Robert Frost , Gwendolyn Brooks , William Carlos Williams , Lyn Lifshin , C.E. Laine, James Kavanaugh -- and so many more, and also the songs of Bob Dylan, which have prompted me to take a stand in some of my writing (and in life) against injustice. I have some Dylan (Bob, that is) links on my Links Page. For Dylan Thomas, you can also access Writing on the Wall 2. New to the site is the Dream (?) sequence and Pablo Neruda page. In September 2007, I have added Silent Poetry, a collection of haiga using my photography and haiku. I'm sure you will enjoy these!
I think words are very powerful, and I love their playfulness...
Grave Concern
Two stood together, heads bowed,
silent
Cries buried in cold cupped hands
Bearing
the marks of tear-stained grief.
The earth was not
newly opened here
And I wondered who might lay,
still,
Beneath the feet of two
Who stood
together, heads bowed, silent;
Whose
long-ago passing could yet evoke
Such profound
pain.
Sister, mother, friend, other?
I am each
of these and more.
And so, I pondered, what of my
own?
Would
any stand together, heads bowed, silent
Cries buried in cold
cupped hands
Bearing the marks of tear-stained
grief
their simplicity...
ripples far-reaching
concentric
waves
soundless
their humor...
Panacea
Cast your stones, there are sinners near
We can't
allow them to linger here
They'll
tarnish the shine of our ivory towers
We must make them fear, must
make them cower
We must let
them know that their sin offends
And for that they must suffer, they
must make amends
What a
better place the world would be
What a better life if the sinners
would flee
There's
just one small problem with this remedy
If the sinners would vanish,
no one would be
their longing...
Wind
blows where it
will
and waits
for no
one.
I sometimes
wish
I were the wind...
their pain...
Bitter Irony
you called
me
friend
I
was happy
you
were
happy
we
were
happy
you
left
without goodbye
explain
their reverence...
Clouds
White-capped
mountains
Ocean spray
Ancient cities
Far away
Celestial
dwellers'
Ivory wings
Heads held high
His praise to
sing
As I look to
heaven
This I see:
Undying tokens
Of God's majesty
Forever cherished
In memory stored
These wonders
Of our awesome
Lord
The significance of poetry is endless...
Words are very powerful, yes. Be careful how you use them...
I believe that poetry allows for freedom of expression, and in that, there is freedom in expression. I strive for clarity and simplicity in my writing and feel that poetry can and should be a source of enjoyment for everyone, and does not necessarily need to be written in a complicated language only a select few can comprehend--that is not to say that poetry should not have a sophistication..
There is much in this website for everyone. But I'm afraid you won't be able to experience it all in one sitting. However, I certainly hope that you all will visit the various rooms, at your leisure, and strengthen yourselves with the power of words. Please come again and again--any time--I look forward to serving you, and sharing with you a few of my favorite things. Oh, and if you happen to come late into the night, don't worry; the coffee will still be good and strong, the poetry sweet, and I'll leave a light on for you. And don't forge to write -- I love hearing from you...
Peace and God's Love,
 |
email graphic by Graphic Magic Ink