By Holly Thorpe
On Jan 1, 2024, the city of Spokane’s fifth-ever poet laureate started her term. Mery Noel Smith will serve two years as poet laureate, expanding access to poetry and creative writing for Eastern Washington.
About Mery Smith
Mery Smith, 38, is a poet and storyteller living in Spokane, Washington. She’s been featured in the anthology “Pivot and Pause,” “Listen To Your Mother” and “Pivot Spokane,” and is the author of one chapbook, “Crumbs.” You can learn more about Mery and listen to some of her poetry at Pictures of Poets.
About the Spokane Poet Laureate
The Spokane Poet Laureate position was created by Spokane Arts in partnership with the city of Spokane in 2013. Since then, there have been five poet laureates. According to Spokane Arts, “Each poet has increased the visibility of poetry in our city, taught countless free classes and workshops, created low-barrier ways for community members to engage with poetry, and celebrated the uniqueness of Spokane through the spoken and written word. The Poet Laureate program celebrates Spokane’s vibrant literary community and aims to strengthen the future of literary arts in our city by engaging a broad range of communities. During their two-year term, each Poet Laureate serves as a cultural ambassador for both the written form and spoken word, and conducts public events to engage constituents city-wide.”
First of all, congratulations! As of Jan. 1, 2024, you are Spokane’s poet laureate. How does it feel trying on that title for the first time? What are you most nervous about? Most excited about?
Thank you! Hand to heart, it feels a bit surreal. The title Poet Laureate carries significance for me as someone who struggled for years actually believing in myself as a poet. I am nervous – because I care. I care about using this time as a service position to carry out the vision of making poetry accessible to those folks like me, who thought it was exclusively for the highly educated. I’m most excited for the opportunities this platform lends for collaboration.
When did you begin writing poetry, and what led you to poetry as opposed to other types of writing, like short stories or memoir?
I began writing poetry as a kid – I wrote throughout my school years and after a long break picked it up seriously about 6 years ago. I have always been drawn to the zoomed-in quality of a poem. Early on I was very taken with Mary Oliver’s work in nature. How with one poem, she would sum up the whole of the world, life, grief, rebirth. And all while sitting in one spot noticing one flying goose. I love to read – memoirs, short stories, fiction. Everything I read informs my work.
I have a few questions about how your experiences have impacted your work, but first, I’d like to know how you describe your poetic work. What artists inspire you? What does it feel like to read one of your poems?
About six years ago I took a poetry writing workshop – a six-week series from the then Poet Laureate, Mark Anderson. His work was and still is an inspiration. He introduced me to Ocean Vuong who I adore and whose work in poetry and lyrical prose inspired me to just tell the truth- my experience with writing poetry is to record like an observer the acute- I want to show you with my words where it hurts. I want to describe what feels almost indescribable – life’s fast poetry slows me down.
You’ve talked before about how you really began focusing on writing after your kids were born – how many children do you have, and how has motherhood informed your writing, if at all?
I have four children at home and a daughter who has graduated college! Motherhood is mostly about being where you are- regardless of how you feel about it. Kids are glued to the present – and whew – what a trip to be constantly HERE. I think most of my life before kids was about trying to get somewhere- be with someone- see something else.
You’ve also been transparent in interviews about your experience with alcoholism from a young age. Did that impact your artistic journey initially, and does being in recovery impact your writing now?
Definitely – alcoholism affected my artistic journey. I had always been a dreamer and the sicker I became in my addiction the less and less I dreamt. My world got very small. For years I was just dreaming of getting off work so I could go get drunk. Like I said, being HERE was painful for me. Alcohol numbed the hurt enough for me to manage but it also numbed the better parts of me too. I was 10 years sober before I began writing poetry again. I had a blog for a number of years that was mostly for my own joy but I wrote these lyrical essays that touched that dream side of my soul again. And the further along I get in my recovery, which is to say, the more I can just embody my being with the absence of any sort of dependencies (insert people, jobs, money) the closer I feel to just being the poem.
While there are The Comet readers all over Washington, The Comet is produced in Wenatchee, where you were born and spent much of your childhood and even briefly attended college. Tell me about your experience growing up in Wenatchee. Do you still visit?
I grew up in East Wenatchee- briefly attended college there and yes, still frequently visit. Growing up there was like this, pile in the car with your friends and drive to someone’s house. I recall those days fondly- I only wish I had the sense then that I do now to enjoy all the natural beauty. Every time I drive in from 1-90 I hold my breath – as soon as I pass the dam, I look up at Saddle Rock. It’s never lost on me now how beautiful it all is. I race my kids to see who can see the river first and call it out loud. I love coming home – and it still feels like home to me. I always go to Safeway when I visit – just so I can run into friends.
During your two-year term as poet laureate, what are your main goals and who are you planning to collaborate with?
My main goal will be to bring poetry into rooms and spaces you wouldn’t normally consider poetic. Institutions like jails, Oxford housing and community centers. I would like to partner with libraries in particular because they naturally embrace those two dynamics. Anyone can enter the library and be surrounded by beauty.
What are you reading right now? Do you recommend it?
I’m always reading too many books. Highly recommend that – on my nightstand now is “Lessons in Chemistry” – I know. Trendy and vanilla. And that’s where I am in this season of life. There are a lot of hard and heavy real-life things – reading is my vacation.
Are there any upcoming events or publications you’d like to plug?
Wednesday, January 10, I am the featured poet at Broken Mic, Spokane’s longest-running open mic celebrating 13 years! It’s an all-ages event at the Neato Burrito/Baby Bar. Sign-ups are at 5:30 p.m.
Anything else you’d like to add?
The importance of just making a start. At whatever it is your heart is asking for. Start with a slow pitch, one page. One canvas. I think I would have began writing sooner had I let the idea of ‘being good’ go – and allowed myself the permission to be a beginner. It’s way more fun to be a beginner than I thought!
And finally, where can we follow your adventures as poet laureate? Is there a newsletter, Instagram, etc.?
My Instagram and Facebook (@merynoelsmith) have information on my workshops! I host those sort of sporadically.