VMI Instructor Appointed Poet Laureate by Gov. Youngkin
Mattie Quesenberry Smith, Ph.D., instructor in the Department of English, Rhetoric, and Humanistic Studies at 麻豆女演员 Institute, was recently appointed the commonwealth鈥檚 new poet laureate by Governor Glenn Youngkin.
A lifelong resident of Virginia, Smith grew up in Appalachia in humble surroundings. Though she went without many modern comforts, her childhood provided a rich tapestry of experiences from which to draw for her creative writing. Her father was a carpenter and her mother cared for the family at home. The family spent many hours outdoors fishing, hunting and exploring the wilderness. Smith even acknowledged having relatives who were moonshiners.
The first of her family to go to college, she received her undergraduate degree from Hollins University where she double majored in biology and English literature. She continued her studies at Hollins, earning a master鈥檚 degree in English literature and creative writing. 鈥淢y intent was to write poetry because I was really interested in science and poetry. Poets represent different aspects of our worldview, which comes primarily from scientific awareness,鈥� said Smith.
Smith often gets inspiration for poetry from nature. She is particularly drawn to metamorphosis, a change of physical form like that of a caterpillar turning into a butterfly, and fractals, geometric shapes with complex, repeating patterns, like seashells. She also collects things that stir her, like rocks. 鈥淎nd then there are things that haunt me that I write around. Once when my husband was outside raking leaves, he uncovered remnants of toys our children had played with when they were young. He brought them in and placed them on a windowsill. Seeing those little leavings was very emotional to me, and I wrote a collection of poems about them called, 鈥淟eaving October.鈥�
VMI cadets also inspire Smith. In her writing and rhetoric class, a cadet once challenged her to spontaneously write a haiku, a short, unrhymed Japanese poem of three lines with a five-seven-five syllable pattern. She responded quickly with 鈥淭he Water Washes.鈥�
The water washes stones.
Smooth as time鈥檚 sand-filled hour,
everything glass sighs.
Smith keeps a tall stack of notes on her desk. Each note holds a starting line of a poem. 鈥淚f I don鈥檛 write it down, there is no poem. As long as it鈥檚 over there in the stack, I know a poem is in there.鈥�
Smith sees her appointment as poet laureate as an honor and a call to service. 鈥淚鈥檇 like to teach people in the community who are struggling with secure residency or food security how to unveil their own voices, and realize their experiences are important enough to write about. I also want to have readings to benefit the local food pantry.鈥� She hopes to have a series of workshops for cadets on post.
Col. Emily Miller, head of Smith鈥檚 department, is thrilled with this appointment. 鈥淢attie will bring the same dedication to that position that she shows every day in teaching our cadets. With her considerable talents, she will be an excellent proponent of the power and beauty of poetry,鈥� stated Miller.
Maj. Gen. Cedric T. Wins 鈥�85, superintendent, stated that Smith鈥檚 recognition is well deserved and a testament to the quality of faculty cadets interact with every day. 鈥淥ur cadets have benefited from Dr. Smith鈥檚 creativity and expertise for many years. Now, the VMI community is proud to share her talents and passion for teaching with the rest of the commonwealth as poet laureate.鈥�
Brig. Gen. Robert Moreschi, dean of the faculty and deputy superintendent for academics, agrees.
鈥淏eing named the commonwealth鈥檚 poet laureate is a significant honor that recognizes Mattie鈥檚 poetic talent. She is dedicated to her craft and to cadets, and all of us who know her are absolutely delighted at her appointment.鈥�
Smith鈥檚 poetry has appeared in many periodicals including Poetry X Hunger, The Timberline Review, and Phi Kappa Phi Forum Magazine. She has written screenplays with her husband and VMI peer, Douglas N. Smith. Their documentary film, 鈥淏etween Two Fires鈥� garnered a CINE Eagle and Best Documentary of the Show in the New York International Independent Film and Video Festival. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awarded the film an Oscar for excellence in graduate student filmmaking.
Smith is currently working on a book of poetry titled, 鈥淥ptics and Doubt.鈥� The title comes from Christian visual images and spiritual experiences likened to light. 鈥淪piritual words like halos and auras are optical phenomena. That is troubling to me, but delightful at the same time. That鈥檚 what that collection is about,鈥� she shared.
Three days after she took her oath as poet laureate in Richmond, Smith successfully defended her dissertation, and earned her doctorate from Virginia Tech.
Since 1988 the governor has appointed the honorary position of poet laureate of Virginia. Smith will serve a two-year term.
Marianne HauseCommunications & Marketing
VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE
