Hard Landing is the second volume of poetry by Rick Smith, published by Lummox Press. In a sense, it is the story of life as told by the Wren, but not necessarily wren as a small defenseless bird, but more as wren as metaphor. As you read these poems, you may begin to see yourself or someone you know in them.
Author Biography:
Rick Smith was raised in Manhattan, Paris, Toledo, Ohio and Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Rick Smith began writing under the guidance of Michael Casey at Solebury School in Pennsylvania. Close family friendships and Carl Sandburg and Lenore Marshall also made a lasting impact on Rick's life choices. He went on to study with Anthony Hecht at Bard College, George Starbuck and Frank Polite at the University of Iowa and Sam Eisenstein at Los Angeles City College. He learned blues harmonica in the "basket houses" of Greenwich Village and in the roadhouses of Duchess County. Smith founded the City Lights on the Sunset Strip in 1965 and has played and recorded with the likes of Van Dyke Parks, Big Joe Williams, Bernie Perl, Clabe Hangan and Steve Mann. During the 70's, he joined Dan Ilves to co-edit the literary journal, Stonecloud. In 1981, he and John Lyon wrote and recorded "Hand To Mouth" a well reviewed LP of originals. He went on to write and record with Mindless, Go Figure, The Hangan Brothers and The Mescal Sheiks. Smith continues to work with the Mescal Sheiks as well as with Music Formula. He is a clinical psychologist, in Rancho Cucamonga, California where he specializes in brain damage and domestic violence; he spent several years on the internationally acclaimed neurological service allied health team at Rancho Los Amigos Medical Center in Downey, California. He and his wife, Erika, have a 14 year old son, Saunder. Rick Smith is published widely in anthologies and in small press publications such as New Letters, Onthebus, Blueline, Hanging Loose, Pinyon, Eclipse, Paper Street, Lummox Journal, Rattle, Rhino and Main Street Rag...
