Ken Smith

Ken Smith (4 December 1938 – 27 June 2003) was a British poet.

Life The son of a farm labourer, born in Rudston, Yorkshire, Smith had an itinerant childhood. He attended Leeds University and studied with Geoffrey Hill where fellow students included Tony Harrison and Jon Silkin. With Silkin, he later co-edited Stand magazine, from 1963 to 1972. Moving to America in 1969, he taught at Slippery Rock State College, College of the Holy Cross, and Clark University.

He returned to England in 1973, teaching at Leeds University as the Yorkshire Arts Association Creative Writing Fellow from 1976 to 1978. In 1977 he founded the South West Review literary magazine and remained the editor until 1979.

He married Annie Minnis in 1960; they had one son and two daughters, but the marriage dissolved. In 1981, he married the poet and artist Judi Benson; he thus became stepfather to her son. In 2018, Stand Magazine published a special Ken Smith celebration issue for what would have been his 80th birthday.

Awards 1964 Gregory Award for The Pity Lannan Award, 1997 1998 Cholmondeley Award

Works

Poetry Eleven Poems. Northern House. 1964. The Pity. Jonathan Cape 1967.

Tristan Crazy, Bloodaxe, 1978. . Tales of the Hunter. Four Zoas. 1979. Grainy Pictures of the Rain. Truedog Press. 1981. . Abel Baker Charlie Delta Epic Sonnets. Bloodaxe. 1981. .

The House Of Numbers. Rolling Moss Press. 1985.

A Book Of Chinese Whispers. Bloodaxe. 1987. .

Wire Through The Heart. Ister. 2001.

Collected Poems. Bloodaxe. 2018

Prose

Frontwards In A Backwards Movie. Arc Publications. 1974. . Anus Mundi. Four Zoas. 1976. Ten Poets In Leeds (programme notes for readings at Leeds Playhouse). 1978. The Joined Up Writing. the x press. 1980. The Queen's Dreams (short story) Harry Novak Books. 1986. Inside Time (with Dave Wait). Harrap. 1989.

Editor