How to Start Reading Clint Smith
Because Clint Smith writes across two very different mediums—deeply researched narrative nonfiction and intimate, lyrical poetry—your starting point depends on what you want to read first. There is no single chronological storyline to follow, but there is a clear thematic progression in both his prose and his verse.
For Nonfiction Readers: Start with How the Word Is Passed
If you want to dive into his prose, you should begin with his landmark work, How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America (2021). This #1 New York Times bestseller acts as an excellent entry point, combining historical analysis with personal travelogue and journalistic interviews to explore how physical places remember—or misremember—the legacy of slavery.
For Poetry Lovers: Start with Counting Descent
If you prefer verse, begin with his debut collection, Counting Descent (2016). This book established his voice as a poet, exploring Black boyhood, family, lineage, and the sociopolitical climate in America. From there, you can move directly to his sophomore collection, Above Ground (2023), which builds on those themes by focusing on fatherhood, family life, and raising children in a complex world.
Clint Smith Books in Publication Order
Since all of Clint Smith's books are standalone projects, reading them in order of release is a rewarding way to see how his writing style and thematic focus have evolved over the years.
- Counting Descent (Poetry, 2016)
- How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America (Nonfiction, 2021)
- Above Ground (Poetry, 2023)
- Just Beneath the Soil (Nonfiction, Upcoming)
Critical Caveat: Avoid "Clint Smith" Identity Confusion
When searching for Clint Smith online or in book databases, it is highly likely you will run into several other authors sharing the same name. To ensure you are buying books by the poet and staff writer for The Atlantic, make sure to watch out for these distinct authors:
- Clint Smith (Fiction/Horror): A novelist who writes horror and speculative fiction, including The Skeleton Melodies (2020) and The Sacraments of Blackgum Lake (2026).
- Clint Smith (Technical/Wireless): An engineer and author of technical manuals on telecommunications and cellular networks.
What to Know Before You Start
Before cracking open one of his works, keep a few things in mind to get the most out of your reading experience:
- Thematic Continuity: Although his poetry and nonfiction are cataloged separately, they are deeply connected. Themes of memory, historical legacy, family, and survival carry over between his essays and his poems.
- Lyrical Prose: Smith’s background as a slam poet and creative writer directly informs his nonfiction. How the Word Is Passed reads with a poetic cadence, making heavy historical subject matter feel remarkably intimate and readable.
- Upcoming Nonfiction: Keep an eye out for his next major nonfiction project, Just Beneath the Soil. Published by Random House, it will continue his exploration of historical memory, this time investigating World War II landmarks and the overlooked stories of marginalized veterans and civilians.