Greg Smith, a William Woods University professor, has written a chapter on iconic American rock musician, author, artist and National Book Award winner Patti Smith for an upcoming textbook.
Smith, associate professor of English, was commissioned to contribute a chapter on Smith for the revised edition of the six-volume textbook, "Critical Survey of American Literature," issued by Salem Press and Grey House Publishing in New York.
Smith said Patti Smith paved the way for the serious academic study of pop music.
"She has a very practical and pragmatic look about this world. But she also is an intellectual, which is a very interesting dynamic to me," he said. "Her ability to recognize continuity and value among apparently disparate art forms is one aspect of her work and personality that drew me to her initially: She loved literature and rock music equally and so did I, so I saw her as a kindred spirit."
The textbook, slated for publication in November, is a six-volume text that offers in-depth essays on noted American and Canadian literary figures. It is designed for both students and researchers, and this is the first time it has been updated since 2005.
Patti Smith became a highly influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album "Horses." Called the "punk poet laureate," Smith fused rock and poetry in her work. Her most widely known song is "Because the Night," which was co-written with Bruce Springsteen. The song reached number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1978.
This isn't the first time Greg Smith has written about the artist. His piece, "And All The Sinners, Saints: Patti Smith, Pioneer Musician and Poet," appeared in the Winter 2000 edition of The Midwest Quarterly academic journal.
Smith's new piece on Patti Smith is an original research article and argumentative defense of her career and major works that situates her within the broader historical, aesthetic and philosophical contexts of American literature and music.
"If students or researchers want to get a sense of who Smith is and why she's considered an important figure in American art, my article should be able to help them understand what she's all about," he said.