Smartish Pace

Smartish Pace is an independent, nonprofit literary journal based in Baltimore, Maryland, and devoted principally to contemporary poetry. Founded in 1999 by Stephen Reichert while he was a student at the University of Maryland School of Law, the journal developed outside the largest commercial and university-press publishing structures. Its identity is built around presenting serious contemporary poetry alongside work by emerging writers, translations, archival discoveries, and reader-oriented literary programming. The journal’s unusual name comes from a tort case involving a horse-drawn carriage that was traveling at “a smartish pace” when it struck and killed a donkey. The legal phrase gave the publication a distinctive title that combines an archaic expression with an energetic, slightly playful tone. That contrast reflects the journal’s broader character: it operates as a serious venue for poetry while retaining an accessible and unconventional public identity. Smartish Pace has published work by numerous writers who later received, or had already received, major American literary honors. Its contributors have included Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award winners such as Carl Phillips, Martín Espada, Terrance Hayes, Rae Armantrout, Mark Doty, Natasha Trethewey, Philip Schultz, Claudia Emerson, Nathaniel Mackey, Ted Kooser, Paul Muldoon, Yusef Komunyakaa, Carl Dennis, Stephen Dunn, Mary Oliver, Andrew Hudgins, Henry Taylor, Gerald Stern, Maxine Kumin, and Anthony Hecht. The journal has also been associated with the first publication of previously unpublished letters by Elizabeth Bishop and with award-winning new translations of poems by Tomas Tranströmer. Its visibility has sometimes contrasted with the stature of its contributors. Newsweek once characterized the journal as “obscure” while discussing places where Pulitzer Prize winner Claudia Emerson had published, an observation that underscored the difference between mainstream recognition and the specialized literary-magazine ecosystem. Within that ecosystem, Smartish Pace has earned stronger recognition. Baltimore City Paper named it Best Poetry Journal in 2007, and Clifford Garstang’s 2023 Literary Magazine Rankings placed it among the ten leading poetry magazines in North America. Beyond its print and editorial work, Smartish Pace’s website hosts Poets Q & A, an interactive poetry forum in which readers submit questions to established poets. Participants have included Carl Phillips, Sherman Alexie, Jorie Graham, Robert Creeley, Eavan Boland, Mark Doty, Robert Hass, Rae Armantrout, Carl Dennis, Stephen Dunn, Bob Hicok, Campbell McGrath, Robert Pinsky, Elizabeth Spires, and David Wojahn. This forum extends the journal’s role from publishing poems to facilitating direct engagement between readers and writers. The publication remains associated with a volunteer or small-team editorial structure led by founder and editor Stephen Reichert, with senior, associate, and assistant editors contributing to selection, production, and literary programming. Smartish Pace is best understood not as a conventional consumer brand but as a cultural publishing title: its principal offering is editorial access to contemporary poetry, while its reputation rests on the quality of its contributors, its independent nonprofit position, and its connection to Baltimore’s literary community.

Smartish Pace was established in 1999 in Baltimore, Maryland, by Stephen Reichert, who was studying at the University of Maryland School of Law when he founded the journal. Rather than emerging from a large commercial publisher or an established university review, it developed as an independent nonprofit literary publication. Its focus has been contemporary poetry, with editorial choices that bring together prominent established poets, emerging writers, translations, and literary material of archival interest. The title derives from language in a tort case involving a horse carriage. In the case, the carriage was described as traveling at “a smartish pace” when it ran over and killed a donkey. Reichert adopted the phrase as the journal’s name, giving the publication a distinctive identity rooted in an obscure legal expression. The name’s combination of formal legal language and unusual humor helped distinguish the journal in the crowded field of literary magazines. Over time, Smartish Pace built a contributor roster that included many major American poets and internationally recognized writers. Its pages featured Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award winners including Carl Phillips, Martín Espada, Terrance Hayes, Rae Armantrout, Mark Doty, Natasha Trethewey, Philip Schultz, Claudia Emerson, Nathaniel Mackey, Ted Kooser, Paul Muldoon, Yusef Komunyakaa, Carl Dennis, Stephen Dunn, Mary Oliver, Andrew Hudgins, Henry Taylor, Gerald Stern, Maxine Kumin, and Anthony Hecht. The journal also published previously unavailable letters by Elizabeth Bishop and new translations of Tomas Tranströmer, expanding its role beyond the publication of new American verse. The journal’s profile illustrates the specialized nature of literary publishing. Although it published work by highly honored writers, Newsweek referred to it as “obscure” in a discussion of venues where Claudia Emerson had appeared. In context, that description reflected the limited mainstream visibility of independent poetry magazines rather than an absence of literary significance. Smartish Pace subsequently received more direct recognition within its field. Baltimore City Paper selected it as Best Poetry Journal in 2007, and Clifford Garstang’s 2023 Literary Magazine Rankings placed it among the ten best poetry magazines in North America. Digital engagement became an important part of the journal’s public presence through Poets Q & A, described as the first interactive poetry forum on the internet. The feature allowed readers to submit questions to well-known poets, creating a direct exchange between audience and author. Participants included Carl Phillips, Sherman Alexie, Jorie Graham, Robert Creeley, Eavan Boland, Mark Doty, Robert Hass, Rae Armantrout, Carl Dennis, Stephen Dunn, Bob Hicok, Campbell McGrath, Robert Pinsky, Elizabeth Spires, and David Wojahn. The forum complemented the print journal by making literary conversation, rather than only finished poems, part of the publication’s offering. The editorial structure recorded for the journal includes Reichert as editor, Daniel Todd as senior editor, a group of associate editors, and a larger assistant-editor team. This masthead indicates a collaborative small-press model rather than a corporate publishing hierarchy. Smartish Pace is therefore best characterized as an enduring independent literary institution whose influence comes from editorial curation, contributor quality, archival and translation work, and sustained reader engagement.

• 2023

  Top-ten poetry magazine ranking

  [1]Smartish Paceen.wikipedia.org

  Clifford Garstang’s Literary Magazine Rankings placed Smartish Pace among the top ten poetry magazines in North America.

• 2007

  Baltimore City Paper award

  [1]Smartish Paceen.wikipedia.org

  Baltimore City Paper named Smartish Pace Best Poetry Journal.

• 1999

  Journal founded in Baltimore

  [1]Smartish Paceen.wikipedia.org

  Stephen Reichert founded Smartish Pace while he was a student at the University of Maryland School of Law.

An independent, nonprofit poetry journal that combines high-level contemporary literary publishing with an accessible online forum for conversations between readers and notable poets.

• Poetry literary magazine · 1999

  Smartish Pace literary journal

  The journal’s core publication is an independent nonprofit venue for contemporary poetry. Its editorial history includes poems by major American poets, work by emerging writers, previously unpublished Elizabeth Bishop letters, and new translations of Tomas Tranströmer. The publication’s reputation is based on literary quality and contributor range rather than mass circulation or commercial publishing scale.

• Online literary forum

  Poets Q & A

  Poets Q & A is an interactive feature hosted on the Smartish Pace website. It gives readers an opportunity to ask questions of established poets and presents the resulting exchanges as an extension of the journal’s editorial mission. Participants have included Carl Phillips, Jorie Graham, Robert Hass, Robert Pinsky, Rae Armantrout, and other prominent poets.

1. 1Smartish Paceen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Smartish Pace official websitesmartishpace.com