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Clint Smith

クリント・スミス

Clint Smith

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1988-08-25 （New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.）
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Religion
Catholic
Residence History
New Orleans, Louisiana (childhood) → Houston, Texas (high school) → Maryland (residence)

Career

Occupations
writer, poet, scholar, journalist, educator
Active Years
2010-

Education

Davidson College
English
Degree: B.A.
Period: 2006–2010
Year of Graduation: 2010
Country: United States
Earned a B.A. in English, graduated 2010
Harvard University
Harvard Graduate School of Education / Education
Degree: Ph.D.
Period: 2014–2020
Year of Graduation: 2020
Country: United States
Doctoral dissertation focused on educational programming experienced by youth sentenced to life without parole

Awards

Dayton Literary Peace Prize (Nonfiction)
2022
Work: How the Word Is Passed
Category: ノンフィクション
Organization: Dayton Literary Peace Prize
Result: Winner
National Book Critics Circle Award (Nonfiction)
2021
Work: How the Word Is Passed
Category: ノンフィクション
Organization: National Book Critics Circle
Result: Winner
Stowe Prize
2022
Work: How the Word Is Passed
Organization: Harriet Beecher Stowe Center
Result: Winner
Hillman Prize for Book Journalism
2022
Work: How the Word Is Passed
Organization: Hillman Foundation
Result: Winner
Literary Award for Best Poetry Book (BCALA)
2017
Work: Counting Descent
Category: 詩
Organization: Black Caucus of the American Library Association
Result: Winner
National Poetry Slam (team)
2014
Organization: National Poetry Slam
Result: Winner
Forbes 30 Under 30 (Media)
2018
Organization: Forbes
Result: 選出
NAACP Image Awards
2024
Organization: NAACP
Result: Finalist

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Counting Descent

2016 Poetry

A collection of poems that addresses race, memory, and personal experience in contemporary America, connecting personal history to broader social themes.

racememoryfamily

How the Word Is Passed

2021 Nonfiction (history / public history)

A nonfiction exploration of how slavery and its legacies are remembered at sites across the United States, examining public memory and historical education.

memory of slaverypublic historyhistory education

Above Ground

2023 Poetry

A poetry collection that explores personal and collective memory, loss, and recovery, illuminating the present through language and history.

memoryhistoryhealing

Bibliography

  • Counting Descent (2016)
  • How the Word Is Passed (2021)
  • Above Ground (2023)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
lyrical poetic expressionclear, expository nonfiction voiceability to connect public history and personal memory
Recurring Motifs
memory and transmissionrace and injusticeeducation and incarcerationfamily and personal experience

Legacy

Through works that connect public history and personal testimony, he has advanced discussion about the memory of slavery and its teaching in the United States. Recognized in both poetry and nonfiction, he is a leading voice among a younger generation of writers.

In Popular Culture

  • Hosted Crash Course's Black American History series

Trivia

  • A fan of Arsenal F.C.; played college soccer.
  • Hosted Crash Course's Black American History series (2021–2022).
  • Has contributed essays and pieces to outlets such as The New Yorker and The Atlantic.