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Posts by J.L. Smith

I am a writer/political scientist based in Eagle River, Alaska. I hold a BA degree in English/Creative Writing and a MA in International Relations. Best of both worlds, I write everything from naturalistic poetry to Russia and the former Soviet Republics. Recent publications: Academic Nonfiction: The Syrian Dilemma: Moscow's Motives in the Syrian Uprising (2013). ISBN: 9781304283931 Creative Nonfiction: "The Important Things" - Alaska Women Speak - Winter 2015 issue Fiction: How to Eat a Bagel - 50-word Stories - Sept 15, 2015 The Devil and the White Room - Down in the Dirt - July/August 2016 Poetry: "Sara" - Grassroots - Fall 1999 "Femininity" - Cirque - Summer 2015 "Sitting in the Bathroom" - Yellow Chair Review - July 2015 "A Happy Poem" - Eunoia Review - August 2015 "Willow Rebuilds" "Spectators" "Fire Angels" - Alaska Women Speak- Fall 2015 "Dark Clouds Descend Low" - Three Line Poetry - Issue 33 - Sept 2015 "Da!" - Peeking Cat Poetry - 8th issue - Oct 2015 "Three times my baby's stroller passes by" - Eunoia Review - Oct 2015 "Babushka's Samovar", "If I May Speak", and "High Tea and Fancy Things" - Alaska Women Speak - Winter 2015 Issue "Joanna's Child" - Cirque - Winter Solstice issue 2015. "Away with the Bitterness!" - Peeking Cat Poetry - 9th Issue - Dec 2015 "Away with the Bitterness!" - Alaska Shorts (49 Writers blog) - December 22, 2015 "The Reflex", "The Drop Off", and "Crossed Eyes" - Eskimo Pie - Feb 2016 "The Fragments You Carry", "The Fireweed Dies", and "Crabapples" - 13 Chairs - Spring 2016

Excerpt: Medusa, The Lost Daughter

Excerpt from “The Oracle of Cisthene”

Oracle tells no lies to the men who

come to it want to hear. He who believes

he is without worry worries the most

for what lies beyond his control.

Like what you have read? Get your full version of this book of poetry for $8 by contacting me at jennsmithak @ gmail.com .

 

Excerpt: Medusa, The Lost Daughter

Excerpt from “The Gorgon Awaits Her Fate”

“For sixteen years, the blood sun neither set

nor rose upon the basalt shores of

Sarpedon, where the gorgon slithered on

like a snake, her limbs and tail like a

scorpion, among the tombs she created”

Like what you have read? Get your full version of this book of poetry for $8 by contacting me at jennsmithak @ gmail.com .

Welcome to 2020!

Welcome to 2020!
I am back from a break and ready to post in the new year. I have a lot of projects planned–writing-wise–in 2020 that I am thrilled to share with you! One project, of which, is the fiction version of Medusa, The Lost Daughter! Yes, the poetry version will be expanded into a full-blown fiction version. It is in the works, so I will be posting some snippets from the poetic version for you to get you ready for it!
Also, there may be some local workshops that I may be leading coming your way if you living in the MD/VA/DC area. Stay tuned.
There may be a free writing camp available online soon. Hmmm…a very big possibility!
I just finished my first fiction work, The Fleeting Lights. It has passed the first draft mark. I am so excited!
Also, the new year is not without celebrating. Keep your eyes open for some giveaways. Could be Medusa or anything else. Stay tuned.
Happy 2020!
JL Smith

Cast Out of Eden: Title Poem

Excerpt:

But, the tree grew anyway,

healing from the switches

taken to its base,

growing during the rainy seasons

when we nourished it.

Cast Out of Eden is available at Politics and Prose at https://www.politics-prose.com/book/9781624292323

Cast Out of Eden: Severing Roots

Excerpt:

I dug deeper into the earth,

severing roots that were never fully connected,

ones that I thought that were a part of me.

 

Cast Out of Eden is available at Politics and Prose at https://www.politics-prose.com/book/9781624292323

Cast Out of Eden: Weeds

Excerpt:

my side of the garden endured,

as I scraped back bare soil:

the earth I once remembered,

the remnants of what I started with.

Cast Out of Eden is available at Politics and Prose at https://www.politics-prose.com/book/9781624292323

Cast Out of Eden: The Breakdown

Excerpt:

Matter weathered

by the elements,

crumbling like us,

to the ground,

where we both originated.

Cast Out of Eden is available at Politics and Prose at https://www.politics-prose.com/book/9781624292323

 

Cast Out of Eden: What Remains

Excerpt:

Alone,

a prisoner of my own making,

I allow you to keep me hostage…

Cast Out of Eden is available at Politics and Prose at https://www.politics-prose.com/book/9781624292323

Cast Out of Eden: The Edge

Excerpt:

I hold myself from the edge

not so you can be the one to save me,

but save myself from you.

Cast Out of Eden is available at Politics and Prose at https://www.politics-prose.com/book/9781624292323

Cast Out of Eden: The Grave

Excerpt:

So, I left the table,

seeking another restaurant,

only to have them follow me,

said that I could never leave,

until I told them

I never asked them to stay.

Cast Out of Eden is available at Politics and Prose at https://www.politics-prose.com/book/9781624292323