Talking With Poets: Ryan Smithson at Poetic License

Thom Francis introduces us to writer and artist Ryan Smithson, one of the readers who participated in the Poetic License Poetry Reading and Open Mic at the First Market in Troy on November 13, 2023.

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Since 2022, the Hudson Valley Writers Guild and Upstate Artist Guild have worked together to present Poetic License – an exhibition celebrating visual art inspired by poetry. This annual project has been instrumental in bringing artists and writers together in a collaborative environment.

For the 2023 edition of Poetic License, Mary Panza hosted a poetry reading and open mic featuring the poets whose work was selected for the exhibit. The final poet to take the stage that night was writer and artist Ryan Smithson.

Ryan submitted a visual work inspired by Margaret McDermott’s poem, “Lungs of the Universe.” After discussing his use of butterfly wings in his piece he shared two of his own poems, “The Serpent & the Apple” and “An Ode to Powdered Donuts.”

Ryan Smithson joined the Army Corps of Engineers following 9/11 and was deployed to Iraq in 2004. Upon returning home, he began writing his memoir, Ghosts of War: The True Story of a 19-Year-Old GI (HarperCollins, 2009), which was nominated as an ALA Best Book for Young Adults. It is required reading in high schools and colleges across the country and was adapted for the stage by the Griffin Theatre in Chicago.

The 2024 edition of Poetic License, showcasing the work of dozens of local writers and artists, will open on Friday, October 4, at the Honest Weight Food Co-op in Albany and run through November 10. Throughout the exhibit, there will be opportunities to view and purchase the artwork and participate in collage workshops and the poetry open mic.

You can find out more about this year’s poets, artists, and events, and check out Ryan’s work from last year at poeticlicensealbany.com