Genie M. Smith

Genie M. Smith (né Emigene Moina Boyce; November 17, 1848 – unknown) was an American writer, editor, and poet who earned widespread admiration from her contemporaries as one of "the best and brightest lady writers in America." on November 17, 1848. Genie was born to parents Ziba (father) and Sarah (mother) Boyce. Records about Genie Smith's later life and the date of her death remain unknown and undocumented.

Family Genie's marriage to Dwight T. Smith resulted in three children: Georgiana G. Smith, Dwight Everleigh Smith, and David C. Smith. There is little information known about Dwight and David's lives, such as their schooling, travels, and even deaths. However, Dwight Everleigh and Genie's husband Dwight both died in the same year, 1902; Dwight T. Smith on June 4, 1902 and Dwight Everleigh Smith on October 21, 1902. Her stories were published in multiple newspapers and publications. Some of them include the Chicago Daily Tribune, Catholic Columbian Newspaper, Midland Monthly, The Broad Ax, The Conservative, and New York Weekly Mercury: a Journal of American Literature. Her novel, Winsome But Wicked, survives today in the Canonge Library. Editing In addition to writing, Smith worked as an editor. Her earliest known editing work was on the 1884 magazine titled the Mid-Continent. In 1885, she was reported to have been an editor for over five different publications. Many of her works use dialects from the North Midland and Upper Midwest regions of the U.S., making the common people from these regions the focus of her stories. Smith's contribution to regionalism has been recognized by scholars as substantial, particularly in regard to her short stories. Additionally, Smith wrote advice for others on how to have their own writings published, providing them with her insight into the types of stories publishers select for their magazines and newspapers.

In addition to her columns, Smith's poetry was appreciated by the public. In 1891, Journalist Fannie L. Fancher described Smith's skill of verse: Smith "often casts one upon the literary wave which vibrates its chords of harmony around the earth."

Literary theory Much of Smith's nonfiction work engaged with First Wave Feminist theory, with an emphasis on equal rights for women in the workforce. She believed that a woman's work writing or editing should be regarded as of the same caliber as a man's. Doctoral Candidate Carley Robertson described the essay as "outright addressing the issue" of women's titles in the workforce.

Smith's writings often reflected on the post-Civil War beliefs held by former members of the Confederacy. She detested slavery, writing that it's "evil influence" shaped both the American South and North into a permanently prejudiced society. In an essay entitled "The So-Called "Race Problem", Smith argues against the public opinion that Black Americans were the cause of America's problems (in regards to crime, job availability, and the economy).

Works

Novels The Parson's Sin: A Novel (Alternate Title – Temptation) (1892) Winsome but Wicked (1892) St. Julian's Daughter: or, Was it Chance or Destiny? (1883) A cunning culprit; or, a "novel" novel: a composite romance by twenty different popular writers (1895) The Columbian Cook-Book Our Money-Makers

Short stories "Nina's Hero" (1884) "Waiting" (1862) "Hi Hapgood's Wife" (1898) "My Cousin Augusta" (1861) "A Woman's Portion" (1888) "A Curtain That Was Never Down" "Our Homemade Winter Garden"

Poetry book The Rivulet and Clover Blooms (1881)

Poems "To Susie" (1861) "Baby Jennie" (1861) "Eyes" (1861) "God is Love" (1861) "All's Well That Ends Well" (1861) "The Poor" (1898) "Favorite Primary Speaker" (1885) "Life and Song" (1908) "My Little Man" "At Set of Sun" "Where Corn is King"

Articles "Lead the Children" (The Catholic Columbian, 1887) "'Editor' or 'Editress'" (The Writer: A Monthly Magazine) "The So-Called Race Problem" (The Broad Ax, 1907) "Unite or Perish" (The Conservative, 1899) "Life's Cares.: Maud's Notions About Them" (Chicago Daily Tribune, 1880) "Bottled Souls.: A Strange Fancy" (The Chicago Daily Tribune, 1880) "The Popular Trend" (The Woman's Tribune) "The Gospel of Freedom" (The Woman's Journal) "The One Best Help" (The Western Garden and Poultry Journal) "The Key to the Mysteries" (The Temple ... a Monthly Magazine Devoted to the Fuller Unfoldment of the Divinity of Humanity, 1898) "Marketable Literary Goods" (The Writer; a Monthly Magazine for Literary Workers, 1888)