Charlie Smith Reads: The Best of the Birch Lake Road
In response to repeated reader-requests, Charlie Smith—“the Bard of the North Shore”—reads 20 of his crowd-pleasing best poems from his first two books, plus five new beauties. A cross between Robert Service’s tall tales, Grey Owl’s attention to nature, Ian Tyson's cowboy poetry, and Fred Eaglesmith’s acerbic wit, Charlie’s poetry is as authentic as the land he farms northeast of Massey Ontario.
Listener response to Charlie Smith’s CBC “Outfront” program in fall 2000:- We... turned others on to this great poet... can't live without Charlie Smith poetry.
- Dye Devereux - ... heard Charlie on the CBC last week and it MADE MY DAY.
- Jim Jones - Was very moved by Mr. Smith's poetry on "Out Front" on CBC.
- Al Mosher - I was blown away by the power of his words.
- Kirsten Mueller - I heard him reading his stuff on CBC Radio and loved what I heard. Can't wait to read the rest!
- James Murphy
Charlie Smith Reads follows Charlie’s two successful YSP collections of poetry: The Beast that God has Kissed: Songs from the Birch Lake Road (Dec. 2000), and Through Three Long Miles of Night: More Songs from the Birch Lake Road (May 2003), as well as his YSP collection of 17 stories Tag Alder Tales (May 2005). The resonant lyric/narrative voice so evident in the earlier volumes manifests itself richly in this audio CD of his best poems.
Now Available!
Book Details
Sept., 2007
ISBN 1-896350-26-7, 978-1-896350-26-4
Audio CD, 25 poems
Price $18.00
About the Author
Charlie Smith was born in Blind River, Ontario in 1948. His mother Iona Hamilton of Spanish, Ontario wrote poetry, as did her father Charlie Hamilton, also of Spanish. Charlie’s father, Charles T. Smith was from Illinois, and Charlie was “shook round this continent / Like a pebble in a can,” attending public school in Silver Water, Ont., Rockford, Ill., Elizabeth Bay, Ont., Grand Detour, Ill., Spanish, Ont., Grand Detour, Ill. (again), and Evansville, Ont. He went to High School in Orangeville, Ont., and Gore Bay, Ont., where he graduated with his grade 12 diploma. He married his wife Rhonda Lane just out of high school, and spent 10 years in the INCO mines in Sudbury. He and Rhonda then bought their home—christened Earthfast—on the Birch Lake Road, northeast of Massey, Ont., where Charlie fulfilled his dream of being “A father, a farmer, a good rifle shot.” They have three children, Rebecca, Chuck, and Brandon, and three grandchildren, Maeve, Angus and Nora.