Ken Smith (poet) explained

Ken Smith
Birth Date:	4 December 1938
Birth Place:	Rudston, Yorkshire, England
Occupation:	Poet
Nationality:	British
Alma Mater:	University of Leeds
Awards:	Cholmondeley Award (1998)
Spouse:
Children:	3 biological, 1 stepchild

Ken Smith (4 December 1938 – 27 June 2003) was a British poet.

Life

The son of a farm labourer, born in Rudston, Yorkshire, Smith had an itinerant childhood. He attended Leeds University and studied with Geoffrey Hill where fellow students included Tony Harrison and Jon Silkin. With Silkin, he later co-edited Stand magazine, from 1963 to 1972. Moving to America in 1969, he taught at Slippery Rock State College, College of the Holy Cross, and Clark University.

He returned to England in 1973,^[1] teaching at Leeds University as the Yorkshire Arts Association Creative Writing Fellow from 1976 to 1978.^[2] In 1977 he founded the South West Review literary magazine and remained the editor until 1979.

He married Annie Minnis in 1960; they had one son and two daughters, but the marriage dissolved. In 1981, he married the poet and artist Judi Benson; he thus became stepfather to her son.^[3] In 2018, Stand Magazine^[4] published a special Ken Smith celebration issue for what would have been his 80th birthday.

Awards

• 1964 Gregory Award for The Pity
• Lannan Award, 1997
• 1998 Cholmondeley Award

Works

Poetry

• Eleven Poems. Northern House. 1964.
• The Pity. Jonathan Cape 1967.
• Book: Work, Distances/Poems. Swallow Press. 1972. 978-0-8040-0588-3 .
• Tristan Crazy, Bloodaxe, 1978. .
• Tales of the Hunter. Four Zoas. 1979.
• Grainy Pictures of the Rain. Truedog Press. 1981. .
• Abel Baker Charlie Delta Epic Sonnets. Bloodaxe. 1981. .
• Book: Fox Running. Bloodaxe Books. 1981. 978-0-906427-22-4 .
• Book: Burned Books . Bloodaxe Books. 1981. 978-0-906427-23-1 .
• Book: The poet reclining: selected poems 1962-1980. Bloodaxe Books. 1982. 978-0-906427-50-7 .
• The House Of Numbers. Rolling Moss Press. 1985.
• Book: Terra . Bloodaxe Books. 1986. 978-0-906427-94-1 .
• A Book Of Chinese Whispers. Bloodaxe. 1987. .
• Book: Wormwood . Bloodaxe Books. 1987. 978-1-85224-037-0 .
• Book: The Heart, the Border Publisher. Bloodaxe Books. 1990. 978-1-85224-139-1 .
• Book: Tender To The Queen Of Spain . Bloodaxe Books. 1993. 978-1-85224-261-9 .
• Book: Wild Root . Bloodaxe Books. 1998. 978-1-85224-461-3 .
• Wire Through The Heart. Ister. 2001.
• Book: Shed: poems, 1980-2001. Bloodaxe. 2002. 978-1-85224-571-9 .
• Book: You again: last poems & other words. Bloodaxe. 2004. 978-1-85224-670-9 .

Prose

• Frontwards In A Backwards Movie. Arc Publications. 1974. .
• Anus Mundi. Four Zoas. 1976.
• Ten Poets In Leeds (programme notes for readings at Leeds Playhouse). 1978.
• The Joined Up Writing. the x press. 1980.
• The Queen's Dreams (short story) Harry Novak Books. 1986.
• Inside Time (with Dave Wait). Harrap. 1989.
• Book: Berlin: Coming In From The Cold . Hamish Hamilton. 1990. 978-0-241-13072-8 .

Editor

• Book: Klaonica: Poems for Bosnia. Ken Smith . Judi Benson. Bloodaxe. 1993. 978-1-85224-283-1. registration.

External links

• "Ken Smith - Poetry Quartets", British council Arts
• Archival material at Leeds University Library

Notes and References

1. Web site: Archived copy . 2009-07-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140111142017/http://www.poetryarchive.org/poetryarchive/singlePoet.do?poetId=1565 . 2014-01-11 . dead .
2. News: Ken Smith:A poet of self-discovery. The Guardian. 3 July 2003 . London . Jon . Glover.
3. News: Ken Smith: Poet of ambition and real feeling. https://web.archive.org/web/20101215195555/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/ken-smith-548352.html. dead. December 15, 2010. 2 July 2003. the Independent . London.
4. Web site: Stand Magazine Literary, Poetry, Prose, online poetry and prose resource - Welcome. 2020-07-21. www.standmagazine.org.