My Story
My name is Christian Smith, and I am The Poetic Realist.
I am originally from Newark, New Jersey, and much of my creative work comes directly from the life I have lived—the fear, struggle, relationships, family, trauma, faith, survival, mistakes, growth, love, loss, and rebuilding that have shaped me.
I began writing and performing spoken word years ago because writing gave me a way to say things I could not always say in ordinary conversation. I have written about growing up surrounded by violence and fear, family relationships, identity, mental and emotional struggles, addiction and recovery, love, heartbreak, faith, Black men and boys, abuse, self-worth, resilience, and what it takes to keep moving when life does not unfold the way you expected.
That history matters because The Living Realists Productions was not created simply to produce entertainment.
It was created to turn real life into art.
Who Is The Poetic Realist?
The Poetic Realist is my artistic identity.
The name represents the way I approach storytelling: I do not want to hide the uncomfortable parts of life or make everything beautiful just for the sake of presentation.
I write about what is real.
Sometimes that reality is painful. Sometimes it is funny. Sometimes spiritual. Sometimes romantic. Sometimes ugly. Sometimes hopeful.
But the purpose is always to create something that allows another person to recognize a piece of themselves inside the story.
My work is rooted in the belief that some of the most powerful art comes from the things people normally struggle to talk about.
What Is The Living Realists Productions?
The Living Realists Productions is the larger creative company and home for that work.
It brings together poetry, visual storytelling, books, memoir, spoken-word performance, theater, live productions, podcasting, interviews, community projects, causes, and other forms of storytelling.
What Is Cinematic Illustrated Poetry?
Another signature part of my work is Cinematic Illustrated Poetry.
This needs to be clearly explained because it is not simply poetry with pictures.
Traditional poetry asks the reader to imagine the world of the poem.
Cinematic Illustrated Poetry begins bringing that world to life visually.
A poem may unfold across multiple illustrated scenes. The environment, characters, expressions, symbolism, lighting, composition, and visual progression are designed around the emotional movement of the writing.
The reader is not simply shown a decorative picture next to a poem.
They are taken inside the poem.
A piece may move from fear to confrontation, from pain to reflection, or from darkness to hope, with each visual scene advancing the emotional story much like sequences in a film.
The poetry remains the heart of the work.
The visual storytelling expands the experience.
That combination of literature, visual art, emotion, and cinematic storytelling is an important part of the identity of The Living Realists Productions.
The Purpose Behind All of It
The common thread throughout everything I create is realism.
I want to create work about things people actually experience but often struggle to explain.
Fear.
Love.
Trauma.
Family.
Faith.
Identity.
Addiction.
Recovery.
Mental and emotional struggles.
Black life and Black manhood.
Relationships.
Abuse.
Self-worth.
Loss.
Purpose.
Second chances.
And survival.
Some projects will be deeply personal. Others will tell someone else's story. Some will entertain. Others may make people uncomfortable.
But none of it should feel empty.
The goal is for someone to encounter the work and leave having felt something, understood something, questioned something, or recognized something within themselves.
