Biographies: William Jay Smith, 1977, Winn Parish, LA. Submitted by Greggory E. Davies, 120 Ted Price Lane, Winnfield, LA 71483 ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** From: June 29, 1977 Winn Parish Enterprise News-American & "Something About the Author", Volume 2, by Anne Commire, Gale Research Book Tower, Detroit, no year given. William Jay Smith, Winnfield Native Is Noted Writer-Poet Among top success stories of Winnfield natives is that "written" by William Jay Smith, now living in New York City. Smith is a writer and a poet. Or, perhaps that should read "poet and a writer," for his specialty is writing children's stories in lyrical rhyme. He visited in Winnfield last week en route to Hodges Gardens for a reunion of Samuel Smith descendants that was held June 24 and 25. He recalled, while here, that he was born at Lafayette Street and Smith Street, which is across the street from the site of the old Goat Castle Restaurant. Smith's cousin, Norman Smith of Winnfield, brought him to the Winn Parish Enterprise office to introduce him. Modest as he was, Smith was induced to give a few facts about his life and accomplishments, enough at least to reveal some interesting family history and to verify that he is one of the nation's more gifted writers, a poet, writer of children's books, and a literary critic. Smith's grandfather, William Austin Smith, was an early postmaster in Winnfield, 1868 to 1870. Smith was born the son of Jay and Georgia Ella Campster Smith. The family moved from Winnfield early in William Jay Smith's life, his father being a musician and a Regular Army man. They lived at Jefferson Barracks near St. Louis, Missouri, and he attended Washington University at St. Louis. Later he went to Columbia University and to Oxford in England as a Rhodes Scholar on his way to a literary career. Today Smith is Adjunct Professor of Writing in the School of Arts of Columbia University, one of the leading universities in the United States. He has been chairman of the writing division there and is now professor English at Hollins College, Roanoke, Virginia. He is a member of the American Academy of the Institute of Arts and Letters, which has a membership of only 250 U. S. writers, musicians, and painters. He is a consultant in poetry to the Library of Congress. He has written many children's books, among them "Mr. Smith and Other Nonsense", "Around My Room", "Grandmother Ostrich", "Laughing Time", "Big Gumbo", and "Children of the Forest". Many of the books are collections of poetry for children. "Laughing Time" has been in print for 20 years. Smith sometimes gets his ideas for poetry from children and what they say. The poetry must be graphic but also lyrical, he says, with a lilt and frequent rhymes. To be a truly good poem for children it must have "the skill, virtuosity and technical soundness of poetry for adults," he says. Other of his writings include poems: "Banyan", "The Straw Market", and "The Tin Can and Other Poems". As a literary critic of poetry he has had reviews in the "New Republic", "Atlantic Monthly", and "Harper's". He also has had his work published in other national magazines. A number of his books and articles may be seen in the Winn Parish Library. Smith varied his life as a writer by running for a seat in the Vermont House of Representatives and served one term, 1961-62. He is a Democrat and was definitely in the minority he says. He is married to the former Sonya Haussmann. He is at present working on a book about his early life, which was along the "Army brat" style since his father was Regular Army. There will be some references to Winnfield, while he was a boy and while he was in college. For those who want to know more about William Jay Smith, a reference volume in the Winn Parish Library provides information. Ask to see "Something About the Author", Volume 2. William J. Smith's biography is impressive. From: "Something About The Author" Smith, William Jay 1918- Personal: Born April, 22, 1918, in Winnfield, La., son of Jay (U.S. Army, retired) and Georgia Ella (Campster) Smith; married Barbara Howes, a poet, October 1, 1947 (divorced June, 1964); married Sonja Haussmann; children: (first marriage) David Emerson, Gregory Jay. Education: Washington University, St. Louis, Mo., B.A., 1939, M.A. 1941; Institut de Touraine, Universite de Poitiers, diplome d'etudes francaises; graduate study at Columbia University, 1946-47, at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, 1947- 48, and at University of Florence, 1948-50. Politics: Democrat. Religion: Protestant. Home and Office: 2343 King Place N.W., Washington, D.C. 20007. Agent: Martha Wilson, Curtis Brown Ltd., 60 East 56th St., N.Y., N.Y. Career: Columbia University, New York, N.Y., instructor in Enlish and French, 1946-47; Williams College, Williamstown, Mass., lecturer in English, 1951, then poet in residence and lecturer in English, 1959-63; freelance writer in Pownal, Vt., 1951-59; Arena Stage, Washington, D.C., writer in residence, 1964-65; Hollins College, Hollins College, Va., writer in residence, 1965-66, professor of English, 1966-. Vermont House of Representatives, Democratic member, 1960-62; Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., consultant in poetry, 1968-70. Staff Member, University of Connecticut Writers Conference, 1951, Suffield Writer- Reader Conference, 1959-1971, University of Indiana Writers Conference, 1961; editorial consultant to Grove Press, 1952-53. Boy Scouts of America, Pownal (Vt.) Committeeman, 1962-63; Pownal (Vt.) Public Library, trustee, 1960-63. Has lectured at colleges, clubs, and book fairs, and has presented television programs on poetry for children, including award-winning programs "Mr. Smith and Other Nonsense" on N. E. T., 1970. Military service: U. S. Naval Reserve, 1941-45; became lieutenant, awarded commendation by French Admiralty. Member: Association of American Rhodes Scholars, Authors Gild, P.E.N. Awards, honors: Young Poets Prize of Poetry Magazine, 1945; alumni citation from Washington University, 1963; Ford Foundation grant to write at Arena Stage, 1964; Union League of Prize of Poetry Magazine, 1964. Writings: Poetry; Poems, Banyan, 1947; Celebration at Dark, Farrar, Straus, 1950; Poems 1947- 1957, Little, Brown, 1957; The Tin Can, and Other Poems, Delacorte, 1966; New and Selected Poems, Delacorte, 1970. Also author of a comedy, "The Straw Market" which was read at Arena State, 1965, and at Poetry Center YM-YWHA, New York, 1969, and produced at Hollins College, 1966. Pamphlets: Typewriter Birds, Caliban, 1954; The Bead Curtain (calligrams), privately printed, 1957; Prince Souvanna Phouma, privately printed, 1963. Poetry for children: Laughing Time, Little, Brown, 1955; Boy's Blue Book of Beasts, Little, Brown, 1957; Puptents and Pebbles, Little, Brown, 1959; Typewriter Town, Dutton, 1960; What Did I See?, Crowell-Collier, 1962; Big and Little, Macmillan, 1963; Little Dimity, Macmillan, 1963; Big Gumbo, Macmillan, 1963; Ho for a Hat, Little, Brown, 1964; (compiler with Louise Bogan) The Golden Journey (anthology), Reilly & Lee, 1965; If I Had a Boat, MacMillon, 1966; (compiler) Poems from France, Crowell, 1967; Mr. Smith, and Other Nonsense, Delacorte, 1968; (adapted from the Swedish of Elsa Beskow) Children of the Forest, Delacorte, 1970. Criticism: The Spectra Hoax, Wesleyan University Press, 1961; Herrick, Dell, 1962; (with Virginia Haviland) Children and Poetry: A Selective, Annotated Bibliography, Library of Congress, 1969. Translator: Romualdo Romano, Scirocco, Farrar, Straus, 1951; Valery Larbaud, Poems of a Multimillionaire, bonacio & Saul, with Grove, 1955; (and editor) Selected Writings of Jules Laforgue, Grove, 1956; Two Plays by Charles Bertin, Minnesota, 1970. Contributor: The War Poets, John Day, 1945; Oxford Poetry, Basil Blackwell, 1948; the Wadham Miscellany, Oxford University Press, 1948; Poetry Awards, University of Pennsylvania Press, 1952; New Poems by American Poets, Ballantine, 1953; The New Poets of England and American Poets, Meridian, 1957; New Poets of England and American Poets, No. 2, Ballantien, 1957; Modern Verse in English, 1900-1950, Macmillan, 1958; I Went to the Animal Fair, World Publishing, 1958; The Fireside Book of Humorous Poetry, Simon & Schuster, 1959; Time For Poetry, W. R. Scott, 1959; Poets and the Past, Andre Emmerich Gallerym 1959: Poetry for Pleasure, Doubleday, 1960; The Barnes Book of Nursery Verse, A. S. Barnes, 1960; Poems of Magic and Spells, World Publishing, 1960; Dylan Thomas: The Legend and the Poet, Heinemann, 1960; The Abbott Christmas Book, Doubleday, 1960; American Literature: Readings and Critiques, Pubnam, 1961; Poems for Seasons and Celebrations, World Publishing, 1961; The Non-Conformers: Articles of Dissent, Ballentine, 1961; Lots of Limericks, Doubleday, 1961; Modern American Poetry, enlarged edition, Harcourt, 1962; Poet's Choice, Dial, 1962; The Poetry- Drawing Book, Simon & Schuster, 1962; Southern Poetry Today, 1962; Life and Adventure, revised edition, Macmillan (Canada), 1962; The Modern Poets: An American-British Anthology, McGraw, 1962; The Story Tree, Ginn, 1962; Poets on Poetry, Basic Books, 1966; V is for Verses, Ginn, 1964; Festschrift for Marianne Moore's Seventy-Seventh Birthday, Tambimutti & Mass, 1965; The Earth is the Lord's: Poems of the Spirit, Crowell, 1965; A Book of Love Poems, Viking, 1965; Poets on Poetry, Baisc Books, 1966; Oh, What Nonsense, Viking, 1966; Reflections on a Gift of Watermelon Pickle, and Other Modern Verse, Scott-Foresman, 1966; The Sea, Ships, and Sailors: Poems, Songs, and Shanties, Viking, 1967; A Case of the Giggles, World Publishing, 1967; Man and Boy, Watts, 1968; Lyric Poems, Watts, 1968; Wonders and Surprises: A Collection of Poems, Lippincott, 1968; A Paper Zoo: A Collection of Animal Poems by Modern American Poets, Macmillan, 1968; The Contemporary American Poets: American Poetry since 1940, World Publishing, 1969; Poetry for Winter, Garrard, 1969; Voices: An Anthology of Poems and Pictures, Rand, 1969; Shrieks at Midnight, Crowell, 1969; Horn Book Reflections: On Children's Books and Readings, Horn Book, 1969; The Owl Book, Warne, 1970; Oh, How Silly, Viking, 1970. Contributor of poetry, reviews, and occasional articles to major literary periodicals and national magazines, including Harper's, Poetry, Nation, Harper's Bazaar, Ladies' Home Journal, New Republic, Horn Book, Evergreen Review, Yale Review, and New Yorker. Translations form the French, particularly of the poems of Jules Laforgue, and from the Russian of Andrei Voznesensky, have appeared in periodicals and books. His poetry has been recorded for the Library of Congress, Columbia Records, Spoken Arts Treasury of Modern Poetry, Yale University, and for Harvard University Libraries. Smith has visited or resided in England, Italy, Haiti, and France. As Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress, he traveled on cultural exchange visits for the Department of State to Japan and East Asia in 1969 and to the Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East in 1970. He is fluent in French and Italian. Laughing Time, Around My Room, and Grandmother Ostrich are on C.B.S. Records, 1969. He is sometimes confused with William J. Smith, author of It Rains, It Shines, and another William J. Smith, a Jesuit priest who writes on labor unions.