Spinning Bridges: An Introduction

In this chapter, Tanya Long Bennett offers an overview of Lillian Smith’s development as a writer and previous scholarship on her writings. The essays gathered in this collection build insightfully and provocatively on the foundation of Smith studies, expanding, in particular, the scholarship on Smith’s literary prowess and its impact. Reflecting the chronology of Smith’s publications, the book is organized to guide readers through the powerful aesthetic and thematic workings of her texts. As readers move through the chapters, they will discover a rich variety of approaches to Smith’s writings. Lillian Smith did not write primarily to sell books or impress critics. Her consistent and provocative themes indicate that she was not driven by a desire for fame or wealth. For her, the ability to exercise her artistic talents and link her imagination with ours was not an end in itself but a means to healthier humanity. The essays collected here provide new orientation points and broaden the road for readers exploring the landscapes of her writings. As these essays attest, the journey on which Smith invites us is at times steep and precarious, but that wild region, rendered through her keen poetic sensibility, is one of sublime vistas and valuable self-discovery.