Meet Our MFA's

Leslie Smith

MFA Track: Fiction

Where have you lived?

·         Arkadelphia, AR (1969-1989)

·         Dallas, TX  (1989-1990)

·         Arkadelphia, AR (1990-1991)

·         New York, NY (1991-1997)

·         Los Angeles, CA (1997-2000)

·         New York, NY (2000-2010)

·         Ft Lauderdale Fl (2010-present)

What are some of your favorite places in Florida?

Sebastian Beach, John U Lloyd Beach, the Dali Museum – St Petersburg,  Lincoln Road

What does your writing space look like?

Any given Starbucks

Are you a pen/pencil, typewriter or computer writer?

Computer – since I was a young kid, way back when I had to type “Print” “” around each line to make a my Texas Instrument Home computer running Basic print it.  And even with that, I have never learned to type correctly, I have my own home grown typing system which uses three fingers on each hand.

When did you first realize you have a passion for writing?

As a young kid I used to think I wanted to be an actor, so I wrote myself episode arcs that would give me ongoing parts in TV shows that I watched.  My favorite is the one where the buxom detectives at the Townsend Agency adopted me. I was nine.  

What’s a book you’ve reread and why?

Tom Spanbuer’s “The Man Who Fell In Love With The Moon” haunts me.   I keep going back to figure out why.

What advice do you have a graduate student in his/her first semester?

Ask!  And if you still don’t get it – Ask again!