
I’m happy when I’ve got a little project. I like making things.
I’ve always been a watcher, and I think about what I’ve seen. Sometimes this results in an object. Sometimes I try to get at it with words. When I’m lucky, something will take my thinking—take me—to a new place and I get to see what’s in the weeds.
At times, there’s no thinking, there’s just looking, and lauding, and that becomes the project.
Recently, I’ve been collaborating with the composer and jazz musician, Paul Finley, to create duets using prose and piano: words and music in conversation, another way to get at it and another happy project.
NOTE: I would not normally use a head shot that showcases my neck, but my baseball team is having a very bad go of it this season and I needed to do something.
Recent Works
A Duet for Prose and Piano
Paul Finley & Patricia Smith
Photo Courtesy Paul Joseph Brown
Words by Patricia Smith
Original music by Paul Finley














