About
Larry Smith grew up along the Ohio River in the steel mill town of Mingo Junction. He worked as a newspaper boy, cook, steel mill worker, then
taught high school in Euclid, Ohio. His education came from Muskingum College, then Kent State University. For 35 years he taught writing and film
at the Firelands College of Bowling Green State University in Huron, Ohio, where he and his wife Ann, a nursing professor, raised three children.
He is the author of 8 previous books of poetry, 5 books of fiction, 2 literary biographies, 2 books of Chinese Zen poetry translation. He wrote and
co-produced documentary films on authors James Wright, and Kenneth Patchen.
With David Shevin he co-founded Bottom Dog Press in 1985 and has edited and published 216 books of fiction, poetry, and memoir. He has directed the Firelands Writing Center for 40 years. In 1980-1981 the Smith
family lived in Sicily where he taught literature as a Fulbright Lecturer. Together with Ray McNiece they edited the America Zen: A Gathering of Poets anthology in 2004. In 1990 Smith studied haiku and tanka with Clark Strand at Mount Tremper Zen Monastery near Woodstock, NY. He is a member of the Tanka Society of America, and fond on cycling and playing
guitar.
