Clint Smith is a poet and educator from New Orleans, Louisiana and following the 2012 Individual World Poetry Slam, is the 5th ranked poet in the world. He is a 2010 graduate of Davidson College where he majored in English and founded FreeWord, Davidson’s first slam poetry team. Upon graduating from Davidson, Clint lived in Soweto, South Africa working to educate youth in the township on HIV/AIDS by engaging them in soccer and spoken word.
Currently teaching high school English in Greater Washington D.C., he is the 2012 Graffiti DC Grand Slam Champion and is a member of the 2012 Beltway Poetry Team, representing DC at the National Poetry Slam. He has been featured on TVOne’s premier poetry and music show, Verses & Flow, and has served as Cultural Ambassador to Swaziland on behalf of the U.S. State Department, conducting poetry workshops with youth throughout the country focused on HIV/AIDS prevention, cross-cultural understanding, and self-empowerment.
As someone who believes firmly in the role art can play in mobilizing communities and shaping policy, Clint has performed and spoken at events including the International AIDS Conference, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s “ECET2” Conference, the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies’ “Place Matters” Conference, the Teach For America Regional Institute, the African Leadership Academy, and the School for International Training.
Clint was also awarded the 2013 Christine D. Sarbanes Maryland Teacher of the Year by the Maryland Humanities Council.
Aside from poetry, Clint loves his mom, scrabble, and the feeling you have right after you eat way too many barbecue ribs.
His work can be found at cwardsmith.tumblr.com and he can be followed on Twitter @ClintSmithIII.
Related Blog Posts:
Clint Smith guest blogs on how we can impact the lives of others by not being wasteful with food.
MSEA Member Clint Smith blogs about the inequity of access to grocery stores in New Orleans – and initiatives to bring healthy options to food deserts.
Maryland State Education Association Member Clint Smith shares his students’ struggle in food deserts and how that affects his role as an educator.