Outlaw Style

R. T. Smith is the editor of the journal Shenandoah at Washington and Lee University. He is the author of a number of books, most recently, Uke Rivers Delivers: Stories, The Hollow Log Lounge: Poems, and Messenger, winner of the Library of Virginia's Literary Award for Poetry. Among his other awards are the Cohen Prize for Poetry, the Guy Owen Prize, and three Pushcart Prizes. To read an interview with the author and some sample poems, visit www.uapress.com.

Outlaw Style is the finest most powerful book of R.T. Smith's mighty career. It bristles with candor and violence and makes the kind of music that only comes from a rare mix of craft and abandon. This book reminds me why southern poetry matters - it is a shining chunk of the American soul. If you want a masterpiece, here it is. - Steve Scafidi, author of Sparks from a Nine-Pound Hammer ""Rod Smith's new book makes even the grimmest, quasi-Manichean spirits - like his fellow Georgian, Flannery O'Connor - want to get happy and testify to the workings of the Holy Spirit; and, simultaneously, to bargain with the Devil for the ability to grab a guitar's neck and confess 'the enduring thrust for melody.' Smith delves deeply into the traditions of Southern music, as well as the story of John Wilkes Booth and outsider artists. He arrives at a place beyond wisdom, his high notes resounding with humility, confidence, and sprezzaratura. 'O play that thing!' is probably a more fitting accolade than 'bravo,' and Outlaw Style makes us crave an encore. Then another."" - Diann Blakely, author of Farewell, My Lovelies