Charles R. Smith Jr. is multi-talented. He loves playing basketball and staying fit and is an award-winning author, photographer, and poet with over thirty books.
Not just that, he is also an illustrator and illustrated the book, If. Plus, He authored and photographed for his own book, I Am The World.
You would often see him giving keynote speeches at events, inspiring young writers with his story and creative processes.
Last but not least, he also runs a YouTube channel where he uploads diverse content. From poems to book talks, workouts, motivation, and his favorite books.
Charles R. Smith Jr. was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. He lived a lively juvenile life and always did what he loved. In an interview, he said:
“Reading books filled with stories and poems inspired me to write my own. And if I wasn’t reading a book, I was playing a sport: I played everything, particularly basketball, and spent many afternoons on the court, perfecting my jump shot.”
While living in Carson, California, Smith attended elementary and junior high in Compton, California, before moving to Duarte, California, for high school.
Smith joined the high school yearbook staff as a writer when he was still in high school. While the job gave him confidence and skills to become a writer, there was another exciting side.
The job also required Smith to take photographs for book covers. Although he didn’t know a thing about photography, Smith developed a strange fondness for it.
With his artistic mind, good framing sense, and plenty of trial and error, Smith soon became an excellent photographer.
Later, he completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in Commercial Photography at the Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, CA, to further hone his skill.
Fun Fact: In 2017, Smith competed for the first time on American Ninja Warrior in Cleveland. He is often seen sharing his incredible experience with children when speaking in schools.
Like all great writers, Smith’s interest in writing emerged years ago, growing up in Compton, California, when he began composing simple poems and stories inspired by the books he read.
His books talk about a vast range of topics, including basketball, black history, diversity, Greek mythology, and sports.
But, his first published book – Rimshots – has a unique and interesting story.
You see, Rimshots is an illustration book that was a huge success. But, all the pictures used in that book were not actually meant for it. Charles was actually looking for work as a photographer and trying to build a portfolio when he got the idea and content for Rimshots.
Here’s what Smith says about it:
“One thing I’ve learned is that if you do something you love, then that love will shine through and it can’t help but be noticed. Those basketball photos were done for the sheer love of the game. My skill in photography allowed me to share that love with others.”
Over the past decade, Smith has collaborated with some highly reputed publishing houses and published several books for children ages pre-K through young adults.
However, there’s no doubt that the project that kick-started his career was Rimshots. Smith says, “If there was no Rimshots, there are no other books.”
Charles R. Smith Jr. is a celebrated name among children’s literature writers and has won some of the most prestigious awards.
His awards include:
Do you know what a “Reluctant Readers Award” is?
It is given to the books read and liked by children who don’t generally like to read. This goes to show how skillful and relevant Smith’s writing is.
Here’s a brief look at some of his most cherished works to date:
As mentioned earlier, this was an illustrations book with a collection of poems where the illustrations were pictures taken by Smith. The book does a fantastic job of explaining the hardships and triumphs of basketball.
The pictures feature African-American males playing street basketball, so it naturally attracted readers from the African-American community.
This poetic book by black history is written by Smith and illustrated by Floyd Cooper. The story is about the building of the White House when white and black people worked together to build this critical political and national structure. But most importantly, the book explains that when labor was insufficient, enslaved blacks were used and set freed in return.
This book is a biography of Muhammad Ali’s life, and Smith has intelligently organized everything into 12 chapters, calling them “rounds.”
The book’s text is poetic, and the photographs are amazing beyond words. Besides, Smith has included details and descriptions of those amazing photographic moments, explaining each jab and hook.
The hard work paid off and won him the Coretta Scott King Award.
This picture book celebrates the many faces that makeup America. Every page of the book features images of a real student and a short sentence that describes something about them or what they do that is unique.
Each sentence on every page begins with “I am” and finishes out with a characteristic of the student or something they like to do.
The powerful poetic lyrics enhance the photographs that represent children of diverse ethnic and racial backgrounds. The delightful pictures and touching poetry combine to tell the story of America.
Today, Smith is more than just a writer. He combines his passions for writing and photography with various subjects that spark his interest. He loves to play and talk about basketball, fitness, and spirituality.
His YouTube channel talks about everything he does in life.
He currently lives in Poughkeepsie, New York, with his wife Gillian and their three kids, Sabine, Adrian, and Sebastian.
Website: https://charlesrsmithjr.com/
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