The award-winning poet and essayist was selected as an Inspiring Woman for democratizing the writing process in newest book and helping others feel connected.
A New York Times best-selling writer, teacher, Columbus-area native and single mother, Maggie Smith is well known for her award-winning books, collections and works including “Good Bones” and “You Could Make This Place Beautiful.” She’s currently editing an anthology series with Saeed Jones, “The People’s Project.” Her newest book, “Dear Writer,” which came out in April, breaks down 10 creative elements and incorporates related writing prompts, inspired by the likes of Anne Lamott’s “Bird by Bird.”
“ ‘Dear Writer’ is really meant to democratize, make accessible and demystify the creative process,” Smith says. “Yeah, I’ve gotten stuck. I’ve had a terrible first draft. I’ve had a terrible fifth draft. I’ve revised something and made it worse. I’ve been rejected many, many times and I’ve had to figure out how to move forward through that. Here’s how I did it.”
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Smith is inspired by writers like Lamott, as well as the women in her life. “I think about my teacher and mentor Kathy Fagan. I think about Connie Schultz. I think about my mom and my sisters. I think about the young writers coming up behind me and the ways that we can lift as we climb and help them maybe have an easier way. It feels incredibly powerful to be part of that community in a city that clearly pays attention to what women are doing.”
Fagan is a fellow poet and a co-founder of Ohio State University’s MFA in creative writing program, of which Smith is an alumna. “I knew Maggie was a gifted poet among the many in our MFA program at Ohio State. What I couldn’t know was how wide her reach would eventually be,” Fagan says. “Maggie’s fluency and charm transform the commonplace into an energizing rallying cry for survival and, better than that, joy.” As Fagan attests, Smith’s writing especially connects to those trying to make sense of the current, contentious moment. Smith’s answer? To face these problems with the same fortitude as her artistic predecessors.
“I don’t think the role of the poet right now is any different than the role of the poet in any other era in history,” Smith says. “I think what we do is metabolize experience and try to distill big things into beautiful little packages that mean something different to different people. Part of what is helpful is not feeling alone, so if literature helps us feel connected to other human beings, that leaves us feeling more empowered and less isolated,” she says.
“Times have always been like these. We are up against a lot right now. But we were up against a different lot four years ago, and 10 years ago and 100 years ago. Times have never not been hard. Life has never not been harrowing. The world has never not been a dangerous place. We have never not needed beauty.”
Maggie Smith’s Greatest Wish for 2025
“That collectively we’ll find new ways to protect one another—and our fragile democracy—through this hard season in our country.”
This story is from the Inspiring Women feature in the May 2025 issue of Columbus Monthly. Subscribe here.
