Clint Smith

A former high school English teacher, Clint Smith is the author of the narrative nonfiction book, How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning With the History of Slavery Across America , which was a #1 New York Times bestseller, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction and selected by the New York Times as one of the 10 best books of 2021. It was adapted into a version for young readers in 2025. He is also the author of the New York Times bestselling poetry collection Above Ground as well as the award-winning poetry collection Counting Descent . His forthcoming book, Just Beneath the Soil: World War II Through the Eyes of Its Last Witnesses , will be out in May 2027. He is a staff writer at The Atlantic . An advance reader copy of Clint Smith’s upcoming book, Just Beneath the Soil: World War II Through the Eyes of Its Last Witnesses , will be made available as a gift to luncheon attendees while supplies last. Additionally, luncheon attendees will receive a copy of the Fi