About

BIO

Eric Bruce Smith was born and raised in Oakland, CA. He is from an area on the eastside known as Brookfield Village. Eric is a poet and writer who enjoys music. He has been published in the Oakland Public Library, under “Images and Voices of the Gold Rush,” edited by Joyce E. Young, 1998. Eric has self-published two poetry books, “The Hidden Peace in Poems” (2021) and “A Better Way to Smile Poems” (2023), which have been cataloged in the Oakland Public Library (2024). Currently, he is studying for a degree in Creative Writing and English at SNHU. He is also a member of the English Honor Society, Sigma Tau Delta.

Publishing Origins

The first time my poetry was published gave me a boost of confidence and planted a seed of passion that continues to grow. The poem is titled “In My Pocket There’s a Mirror,” which was included in an anthology called “Reflections of the Soul,” published by The Poetry Guild, Ohio, 1997. My work was placed under the noteworthy section. When I held that book in my hand, I knew writing would always be something I would cling to. That very moment sparked an interest in me to complete an anthology of poems. Although it didn’t happen right away, the desire never diminished.

The following year, in 1998, I participated in a poetry workshop organized by The Writers on Site Program of Poets & Writers, Inc. The workshop was held at the Oakland Public Library and conducted by educator and author Joyce E. Young. I found myself among a special group of writers who would be a part of history. Our works were catalogued in the Oakland Public Library in an anthology titled “Images and Voices of the Gold Rush,” edited by Joyce E. Young. Both publishing efforts in 1997 and 1998 were a solid beginning for me. My poems “Voices of the Gold Rush,” and Effects of the Gold Rush,” have now been in the library system for twenty-seven years.