Heather Derr-Smith

Heather Derr-Smith is an American poet.

Life
She was born in Dallas, Texas in 1971 and spent her early childhood in Los Angeles, California. Her family then moved to Fredericksburg, Virginia where she spent her middle and high school years. She studied at the University of Virginia (UVA), earning a B.A. in Art History. At UVA she also took poetry workshops with Gregory Orr, Charles Wright, and Rita Dove.

She went on to earn her M.F.A. in Poetry at the Iowa Writers' Workshop where she studied with Marvin Bell, Jorie Graham, Jim Galvin, and Mark Doty. Her first book, "Each End of the World" was published by Main Street Rag Press in 2005. The book was called "Astonishing" and "a devastating performance" by Mark Doty. The poems are about the 1991-1996 wars in the former Yugoslavia (Yugoslav Wars), where Derr-Smith volunteered in a refugee camp in Gasinci, Croatia in the summer of 1994.

Derr-Smith's second collection of poems, "The Bride Minaret" was published at the University of Akron Press. It was selected by Elton Glaser for the Akron Series in Poetry in 2008. It was edited by Mary Biddinger. The poems are about personal and global issues of exile and identity. There is also a strong sense of place and connection to the natural environment.

Derr-Smith's poems deal with urban-ecological subject matter. Her most recent poems have a strong connection to the land and the natural environment. Many of the poems also wrestle with issues of spirituality, religion and suffering. Derr-Smith has described her religious upbringing in several interviews and often writes about her Baptist and Mennonite heritage. She is also influenced by the Sufi poets in Islam. Derr-Smith also explores issues of sexuality and identity, GLBT issues, and Feminism in connection with ecology.

Derr-Smith has received numerous awards and grants, including grants from Iowa State University, the Iowa Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Her poems have also appeared in such literary magazines and journals as Fence, Crazy Horse, Phoebe, and Margie. Derr-Smith was the 2009 Visiting Poet at Iowa State University in the Creative Writing and the Environment MFA Program. She also teaches Poetry at Grand View University in Des Moines, Iowa. She was a Visiting Poet at the International University of Sarajevo in December 2009.