William Jay Smith to host two events Oct. 17 and 18

William Jay Smith, a Washington University alumnus and former Poetry Consultant to the Library of Congress (now the position known as Poet Laureate), will read from his work at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 17, in Olin Library’s Ginkgo Reading Room. A reception will immediately follow.

In addition, Smith will speak on “My Friend, Tom: Tennessee Williams in St. Louis” — recounting his time as a classmate of the great playwright and fellow Washington University alumnus — at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 18, in Hurst Lounge, Room 201, Duncker Hall.

Both events are free and open to the public. Duncker Hall is located at the northwest corner of Brookings Quadrangle, near the intersection of Brookings and Hoyt drives. Olin Library is located a short walk west of Duncker. For more information, call (314) 935-5858.

The son of a soldier and the grandson of a Choctaw Indian chief, Smith was born in 1918 in Winnfield, LA, but raised primarily at Jefferson Barracks outside St. Louis. He earned both undergraduate and graduate degrees from Washington University (BA ’39, MA ’41) and befriended Williams during his sophomore year. After graduation Smith enlisted in the U.S. Navy, serving in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters during World War II, then attended Columbia University and Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar.

A prolific author, Smith has published more than 50 books, ranging from poetry and children’s verse to translation and literary criticism. He is currently working on a book about his friendship with Williams while his boyhood memoir, Army Brat (1980) is considered a modern classic. Two of his poetry collections have been nominated for the National Book Award and Laughing Time (1955), his first book for children, has never been out of print. His translations have won awards from the French Academy, the Swedish Academy and the Hungarian government.

Smith was poetry consultant to the Library of Congress from 1968-70 and has been a member of The Academy of Arts and Letters since 1975. He also served as poet-in-residence at Williams College from 1959-1967 and chaired the Writing Division of the School of Arts at Columbia University from 1973-75. Now a professor emeritus at Hollins College in Roanoke, VA, he divides his time between homes in Cummington, Mass., and Paris, France.

Many of Smith’s manuscripts and papers — including extensive correspondence with literary figures dating back to the 1940s as well as letters from publishers, editors, scholars and friends — are held in Olin Libraries’ Department of Special Collections.

Smith’s visit is sponsored by University Libraries and the Performing Arts Department in Arts & Sciences, with additional support from the Department of English and the Center for the Humanities, both also in Arts & Sciences.