VIU Creative Writing Alumnus self-publishes first book

Sometimes the difference between possible and impossible lies in determination. For Howard Smith, a former VIU creative writing student, determination has helped him accomplish his dream of publishing a book of poetry despite odds stacked against him.

Smith, a member of the Haisla Nation, lives in a small village outside the City of Kitimat. He recently self-published a book of poetry titled "diary of a sinner".

"Ever since high school, I’ve wanted to have a book out," said Smith, during a recent visit to Nanaimo. "I always knew it was going to happen, it was just a matter of when."

He had a number of poems from "diary of a sinner" published individually, but he wasn’t having as much luck finding a publisher for the entire book. "Three publishers responded positively and I was short listed for two, but they already had their publications set for the next two years," Smith said. "I decided to do it on my own."

Smith is not what you would call a traditional poet - for one thing, many of his poems rhyme. Raised on rap music, Smith has stuck with this form despite the fact that it isn’t always popular with poets, partly because he wants his poetry to be accessible to a wide audience.

"I don’t think my work would appeal to a poetry class, but for someone who doesn’t normally read poetry, they might enjoy it," said Smith. "I am a natural rhymer. I argue that it’s not rap, but people have made the comparison more than a few times."

One of the unique features of the book is that Smith has written a story to explain each poem. The narrative is on the left page, facing the poem. In many ways this commentary is where Smith’s voice slips out, candid and wry – telling about life and all its joy and sorrows. Smith’s honest observations give the reader a ring side seat as he battles his demons.

"My life is an open book. I write about politics in the village, I write about suicide attempts because I had a few," said Smith. "I know about trying to help someone heal."

"A lot of my poems are dark, but I’d rather be considered a dark writer than a dark person," he said. "If I get it out on paper, it’s like therapy."

The poems are in the order that Smith wrote them so that the audience can tell when he became a better story teller.

Smith had written about half of the poems in the book by the time he got into Creative Writing at VIU, and the classes really helped him understand the business side of writing.

"I learned a lot at VIU, the ins and outs of the publishing industry and how to apply that," said Smith. "Rhonda Bailey’s publishing class was great. She helped a lot."

Between friends, family and a bookstore in Kitimat, Smith has almost sold out of his initial print run, and he expects to print more. "A lot of people are asking me about the next book, mainly because this one is such a fast read, but it took about ten years," said Smith. "Now that I have that out of my system I’m taking a five minute break to decompress."

To purchase a copy of Smith’s book contact him at mrsmith_32@hotmail.com. For more information on Creative Writing courses at VIU contact advising at 250-740-6410.