Maggie Smith

@maggiesmithpoet.bsky.social

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Not the dame, the other one.
NYT bestselling author of YOU COULD MAKE THIS PLACE BEAUTIFUL & other 📚📚
Newsletter: FOR DEAR LIFE

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Can confirm. Got the text. Happy Lottery Day. 🪨

I’ve texted so many friends: “Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” takes place on June 27th. Enjoy your day!” Heheheheheehehe. 🪨

Never forget. 🫡🛼 Four years ago today, the Maya Angelou x Maggie Smith in rollerskates debacle. 😂 Happy Wednesday, all. x M

Weekend newsletter posts are rare for me, but I had something on my mind. And when I have something on my mind—you guessed it—I write. Because I’m a writer. Thank you for reading, sharing, and subscribing. x M

Pep Talkopen.substack.com Because I'm a Writer

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What are you reading? Brown Bag Lit PR Intern Demitra Moutoudis is reading Goldenrod by @maggiesmithpoet.bsky.social (Atria / One Signal Publishers)

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“Darling, I say, I have waited for you all of my life.” - @maggiesmithpoet.bsky.social Love it so much I got it tattooed

single line from a poem that sticks in your head? from anne carson i have "Pity us, pity the ocean, here we go."

In today’s For Dear Life newsletter, I’m sharing the early drafts of a poem from Goldenrod: “December 18, 2008.” Reading the poem at an event this fall, I had a startling realization about it, and I wanted to share that, along with a peek into the revision process.

Sparks & Starts: "December 18, 2008"open.substack.com A poem's initial inspiration & early drafts

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Hey hey! My memoir, You Could Make This Place Beautiful, made it to the final round of the Goodreads Choice Awards. If It was a favorite memoir of yours this year, I hope you’ll pop over there to vote. 💗🙏 www.goodreads.com/choiceawards...

Goodreads Choice Awardswww.goodreads.com Vote for the best books of the year! The Goodreads Choice Awards are the only major book awards decided by readers.

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+1 for The San Antonio Express News lmao

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"If you have an elevator pitch for your adult life, you’re living too small." I went for a walk in Bexley, Ohio with @maggiesmithpoet.bsky.social. 💛 https://walkitoff.substack.com/p/a-walk-in-bexley-ohio-with-maggie

Goodreads Choice Awardswww.goodreads.com Vote for the best books of the year! The Goodreads Choice Awards are the only major book awards decided by readers.

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Thanks @maggiesmithpoet.bsky.social for including me on this holiday music list! open.spotify.com/playlist/7M1...

Holidayopen.spotify.com Holiday · Playlist · 68 songs · 214 likes

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Shout, shout. Let it all out Here is my handle and here's my spout Come on. I'm talking to you Teapot

In time for the holidays, signed editions of my books are available from my beloved neighborhood indie bookstore to ship anywhere in the U.S. I’m happy to personalize them for anyone on your list. ✍️🎁📚 Please order online by DECEMBER 13 for holiday delivery. Thank you for buying indie! x M

Maggie Smith, Signed Editionswww.gramercybooksbexley.com Maggie Smith, Signed Editions

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My students read @maggiesmithpoet.bsky.social 's "Good Bones" last week, and one of them asked me if I, too, thought the world is "at least half terrible." I told them yes, but that it also meant the world is half wonderful, and maybe that belief is not mere compensation but rather hope.

Looking forward! I hope you’ll join us.

On Friday at 2pm ET, I'll be doing a Substack "Ask Us Anything" with poet/memoirist @maggiesmithpoet.bsky.social about blazing our own unique paths through midlife as Gen X-ers doing creative work. (It will be all text, no video.) Sign up and join us! lu.ma/aua-saribott....

AUA about Mid-Life with Sari Botton and Maggie Smith · Lumalu.ma A live Ask-Us-Anything on Substack featuring Sari Botton and Maggie Smith. Join Sari and Maggie on Friday and ask them anything about how they're writing their own scripts for moving...

This morning son yelled, “Mom, look out back! Beauty emergency!” The sunrise was a swirl of pink and aqua. But better than the view? His noticing, and his wanting to share it with me. Even today, as we wake up to more hard-to-bear news, there’s love and beauty. It’s not enough, but it’s something.

Phoebe the Boston terrier & I are in our ideal reading chair in this very sweet illustration for Substack Reads. Lots of reading recs and shout outs here. Very special thanks to @tweetsweet.bsky.social and Hannah Ray at Substack, and to Nhung Le for the illustration. 💗🙏

Reading Room: Maggie Smith’s top Substack readsread.substack.com In this series, we explore what Substack writers are reading by asking them for a tour of their reading list.

Today: a peek at the handwritten pages that became “The Play” in my memoir, & some thoughts on the creative process. There’s no graduating from it. No amount of experience or success exempts us from the hard work of writing messy first drafts. That’s not a bug, it’s a feature. Thanks for reading.🙏

Sparks & Starts: "The Play" from YCMTPBopen.substack.com A memoir chapter's initial inspiration & handwritten notes

Thanks, Ben. Hope it was an energizing day!

Even though she couldn't be there in person, @maggiesmithpoet.bsky.social was an amazing Keynote at #MCTE23.

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Now reading. Such powerful stuff about motherhood, womanhood, writerhood, personhood. Thank you for writing, @maggiesmithpoet.bsky.social

Ohio folks: I’m in Tiffin tonight for a reading and book signing—come say hello if you’re in the area!

Foundation Speakers Series — Tiffin-Seneca Public Librarywww.tiffinsenecalibrary.org

Bathtub, glass of Prosecco, and the exhilarating and heartbreaking new Sufjan Stevens record turned way up. Happy Friday.

On Surprise & Gratitude. Happy Birthday, Keep Moving.🧡📖🎉

On Surprise & Gratitudeopen.substack.com Happy Birthday, Keep Moving

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happy 25th bday to the song joni mitchell wrote about throwing a drink in jann wenner's face

Revisiting Joni Mitchell’s “Lead Balloon,” a Kiss-Off to Jann Wenner and Rock Misogynypitchfork.com The song that Joni Mitchell wrote about throwing a drink in the Rolling Stone founder’s face recently turned 25.

Today I’m answering some questions submitted for Q&A—about being ready to publish, dealing with rejection, deciding how to ethically share work online after it’s been published in a print journal, making dates with potential inspiration, & choosing poetry that high school students will attach to.

Pick My Brainopen.substack.com some answers to your questions

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you wanna see a dead body

Oh my heart. For the Ohio State Alumni Magazine I got to talk with my dear friend Kathy Fagan, who was my MFA teacher & mentor *cough* 20 *cough* years ago, about mentorship, friendship, teaching, writing, and cheering one another on. I hope you’ll listen.

This was a fun morning talking with long-ago OSU MFA advisee, @maggiesmithpoet.bsky.social Listen in here. alumnimagazine.osu.edu/story/maggie...