On Saturday, Nov. 11 at 4 p.m., UT English distinguished lecturer Erin Elizabeth Smith will be speaking about her newest poetry collection, “GHOST || ANIMAL,” at Union Ave Books in downtown Knoxville.
Smith will deliver an author presentation, including readings of some of the poems and background on how she came to be as an author. After the initial presentation, there will be a Q&A by the audience followed by a meet-and-greet and signing.
Smith began lecturing at UT in 2009 following her doctoral program. This year marks her 14th year at UT. She regularly teaches workshops in the English department, including the poetry workshop, creative nonfiction workshop as well as a public writing class that focuses on crowdfunding for nonprofit organizations.
In addition to her role as a distinguished lecturer, Smith serves as the poet laureate of Oak Ridge. Chosen for the position in 2022, Smith currently serves her second and final year in the honorary role. As the first poet laureate of the city, Smith gives readings, workshops and works in coalition with city events to promote poetry. Smith’s signature event is called “Write at Its Share,” a three-month-long event consisting of monthly meetings to write, workshop and revise poems.
Smith is the founder and executive director of Sundress Publications, an organization founded in 2000. Sundress is a local literary arts nonprofit writing residency and arts collective. Every year, Sundress publishes about six books of poetry, one book of prose and six chapbooks.
In “GHOST || ANIMAL,” Smith explores childhood sexual abuse and the growth and healing beyond it. The chapbook centers on a character named Dot who is dealing with sexual abuse that manifests in her ability to see the ghosts of animals that have been killed.
“For me, Dot is a character, so it is in some ways writing in persona,” Smith said. “I think especially when dealing with particularly difficult subjects, sometimes persona is a good way to have a step between you and the person you’re writing about. While there are many things in the collection that are autobiographical, there are many things that are also not. Being able to have that hybridization between the real and the fantastical allows us to be more honest in the ways in which we write about our trauma.”
As a survivor of sexual assault, Smith recognized the power that literature has to heal and recover from trauma.
“It was important to me as a survivor to create a voice that was part of my own experience that I didn’t see very often,” Smith said.
Through her work as a poet laureate, Smith will be hosting a writing retreat in the spring for the survival and healing of sexual assault survivors centered on writing as a form of witness and recovery.
Victoria Finklea is a UT alum and former student of Smith. She worked alongside Smith and Sundress Publications for three years. She is currently the events manager at Union Ave Books where she works to coordinate this event and many others.
“Because of working with her in those capacities, I know how much this community loves her and her work,” Finklea said.
She hopes this event will encourage people to explore poetry in a way that they haven’t before.
“A lot of what Erin writes is very unique,” Finklea said. “She’s really good at putting a unique spin on things people write about all the time. I hope that it makes people want to dig deeper into her work and poetry in general.”
Smith hopes that people come to the event to support independent bookstores and encourage writers to find their community outside of academia.
For more information on upcoming events at Union Ave Books, visit their events calendar.
