Alcoholloween

It’s spooky season, and if you’ve been to any of my recent readings, you’ll know that I recently wrote this humorous new Halloween limerick! Enjoy!

Regarding Updates

Hi, everyone! I just wanted to take a moment to let you know that despite the lack of new posts here on my blog in recent months, I do continue to write new poetry. I’ve also remained active on the official “Kevin Frederick Smith – Poet” Facebook page, and while it is my intention to continue using this blog to display my poems and possibly to publish occasional longer updates, the aforementioned Facebook page is the best source for regular updates on my poetry-related activities. The “About” and “Current Publications” blog pages will be kept up-to-date.

Thank you for your ongoing support!

Geauga Parks’ Nature Writing Honors & Performances

Yesterday, I spent the afternoon in Geauga County at the 25th annual Nature Arts Festival of the Geauga Park District, where I was awarded an Honorable Mention in the Adult Poetry category for “Among The Roots!” Please enjoy my performance and the flattering comments of contest judge Grace Butcher in the video below!

I also feel compelled to recognize Martha Kennedy, age 10, for her prize-winning haiku in the Child Poetry category of the contest. Martha’s vivid sensory descriptions and emotive undertones are stunningly brilliant, and I genuinely hope to hear much more from this poetic prodigy as her creative writing career continues to unfold! Please click here to read her piece!

Here’s the video described above:

The Ghazal Page Presents: “Ghazal Of Humanity” (+ Upcoming Event Reminder!)

Salutations, all!

My first-ever Ghazal poem has been published on The Ghazal Page in their latest issue, #59 ! Read the full poem here! (The poem will be added on this site at a later date.)

I also have a couple of reminders:

• I will be participating in a recognition ceremony on August 7th at the Geauga Park District’s Nature Arts Festival for my honorable mention in their Nature Writing Contest! Please join me there in celebrating nature and creative expression!
• One other thing I’d like to emphasize is that while, as you can see, I am continuing to share my work and announcements on this blog, I more frequently share smaller announcements and links on my Facebook page!

“Parental Senryū” (+ an Honorable Mention earned!)

Many of my friends and former classmates have young children. I wrote the following poem while thinking about all of those young families, and I dedicate it to them as well:

Props to those who get the Pollock reference!

In other poetic news, the results are in for the Geauga Park District’s 21st Annual Nature Writing Contest, and I’ve been awarded an honorable mention for “Among The Roots” in the adult poetry category! Browse all of the honored entries at the following link, and join me in celbrating nature and the arts at the Nature Arts Festival on August 7th at Big Creek Park: http://www.geaugaparkdistrict.org/arts-in-nature.shtml

National Poetry Month Challenge Format List

Sorry this is so late, but as promised, here is the list of poetry formats which resulted from part one of my National Poetry Day challenge:

• Acrostic
• Ballad
• Ballade
• Canzone
• Envelope Quatrain(s?)
• Ghazal
• Haiku
• Heroic Couplet
• Italian Sonnet
• Ottava Rima
• Pantoum
• Paradelle
• Rengay
• Rondeau
• Rubyat
• Sapphic Stanza(s?)
• Sestina
• Shakespearean Sonnet
• Terza Rima
• Villanelle

I intend to fulfill my half of the challenge, but just in case I run out of time, and in order to maximize the educational benefits of this endeavor, I intend to focus first on those formats on the list with which I’ve never worked before.

Oh, and thanks are due to Joshua Gage for contributing most of the suggestions listed!

My Least Fav’rite Things: PART 3 (Parody of “My Favorite Things”)

It’s baaaack!

I’ve just composed a third installment in my series of parodies of “My Favorite Things!” I hope you’ll enjoy this latest lighthearted tribute to my personal pet peeves as much as earlier audiences seemed to enjoy part 1 and part 2!

Much to tell, much to do!

There’s lots of news of which to tell! In no particular order, here’s what’s new:

• Full details of the 2016 Hessler Street Fair Poetry Contest have finally been made public! Check out this year’s plans for the Cleveland tradition!
• Writing Knight Press is graciously including me in their lineup of featured poets for the 20th National Poetry Month! The details for the event at which I’ll be reading haven’t yet been finalized, but  UPDATE: Here is the event info! I am scheduled for the evening of April 4th! My 100-word bio is now featured on their website!
• As you may have noticed, I’ve created an official Facebook page for my career as a poet! Please “Like” me to be among the first to hear what I’m up to!
• Last but not least, I’m excited to announce that The Ghazal Page has accepted my submission of “Ghazal of Humanity” for an upcoming publication!

Please watch for updated on these and other topics in the near future!

Kris Kringle’s Year Off

Season’s greetings!

I actually wrote this Christmas comedy poem off-season, but as you’ll soon realize, that’s not entirely inappropriate. Enjoy!

[The full text is below, but I’ve decided to debut this piece in video format:]

“Thinking Of You”

The following is an older poem of mine, written some time during the latter half of my high school tenure about a friend* who was in the hospital at the time. It is among the first that I ever performed in front of an audience, and while perhaps not my best work in a literary sense, it remains sentimentally valuable to me:

*[To respect my friend’s privacy, I’ve changed her name in this copy of the poem]

Check back here next week for my new Christmas-related comedy poem!