Black Stone

Poetry. "This is a book written from a man living on the other side of Texas--the state of heightened awareness, exposed roots, and unearthed secret stones. It is a chilling narrative that confronts the terrifying mysteries of childbirth and the shroud of daily life that holds and sustains this most intimate act. Like the constantly shifting belly of his wife, this is a book that moves between essay and poetry, consciousness and dream, and the deeper threads that connect daily life to the marvelous. But there is also the presence of horror--the political situation of these dark ages, with all its wars, alarms, and demands for action. I'm hesitating to write about the emotional intensity and sensitivity of this book--is it amazing that this book was written by a man, a father who, through this writing, attempts to experience and protect the inner life of his wife by bringing forth his own dark child? This is a book of daring consciousness battling with the dark ages--it struggles against its own clarity because language is a rooted thing, and our minds must be dirty to be in it, to tend those twisty, crusted branches. And yet, this struggle documents Smith's stand--a brave and intimate book by one of our finest poets"--Kristin Prevallet.

Dale Smith (born 1967) is an American poet, editor, and critic. Smith was born and raised in Texas and studied poetry at New College of California in San Francisco. He now lives in Austin, Texas with his wife, the poet Hoa Nguyen, and is working on a PhD at the University of Texas. While in San Francisco, Smith was co-editor of Mike & Dale's Younger Poets, which put him in contact with many important poets from previous generations as well as the young poets of his own generation. After moving to Austin in 1998, he and Hoa Nguyen started the small press publishing venture Skanky Possum. From November 2003 to October 2004, Smith wrote a lively column for Bookslut. Smith's poetry and essays have been widely published, including an appearance in The Best American Poetry 2002. Recently, he was chosen to write the introduction to Ed Dorn's Way More West (2007, Penguin).