Valerie A. Smith is a poet and creative nonfiction writer with a PhD in English from Georgia State University. She earned her masters at Kennesaw State University where she is currently a lecturer. She is a 2022 Sewanee Writers’ Conference Scholar and Hambidge Center for the Creative Arts Fellow. Her poems have appeared in Wayne Literary Review, Spectrum Literary Journal, Dogwood: A Journal of Poetry and Prose, Crosswinds Poetry Journal, Aunt Chloe: A Journal of Artful Candor, Typehouse Literary Magazine, Oyster River Pages, Obsidian: Literature & Arts in the African Diaspora, Solstice Literary Magazine, Auburn Avenue, and South 85. Above all, she values spending quality time with her family.