"[A] lucid debut... [S]elf-contained, compact stories [that] will stick in the mind for a while."
Publishers Weekly "Smith's close familiarity with the everyday tragedies of our human existence is recorded in diction that is readily accessible to the average reader, but which has a depth that is capable of resounding through the hearts and souls of his audience, facilitating their response, ... Read moreeven if they come from an essentially nonpoetic background... Smith's work is well worth investing in, so do consider acquiring yourself a copy
he is clearly a modern-day poet who deserves your attention."
Lois Henderson, Bookpleasures.com "Almanac by Austin Smith is a magical collection of lyrical poems which mark, and mourn, the passing of a way of life, of the small family farmer, in the rural Midwest... It's a stunning first collection, chosen by Paul Muldoon for the reinvigorated Princeton Series of Contemporary Poets."
Keith Richmond, Tribune "Smith's farm disasters make memorable reading if you care about poetry whether or not you care very much about farms."
Stephen Burt, Yale Review Show Less