Virginia’s Poet Laureate Inspires VMI Cadets with a Passion for Science and Poetry

Mattie Quesenberry Smith grew up in Blacksburg, where college wasn’t the norm for her family. Her dad worked as a carpenter, and her mother, a homemaker, loved poetry.

Mattie’s mom often inspired her to explore the arts. “She got really interested in the coffee houses and the artist scene in Paris,” Mattie remembers.

While her family enjoyed fishing and hunting, Mattie was always curious about nature. This interest led her to Hollins University, where she first studied biology. But soon, she discovered her love for writing. She switched gears and pursued a double major in biology and English literature, drawn particularly to poetry.

Writing poetry opened up a new world for her. “When I wrote a poem, it felt like gathering everything I heard, saw, and felt in one moment,” she explains. This connection between different experiences fascinated her.

After completing her undergraduate studies, Mattie earned a master’s degree that combined her interests in literature and science. Her thesis examined complex ideas like the second law of thermodynamics and chaos theory through the lens of Thomas Pynchon’s novels.

She began her teaching career at Mountain Gateway and Blue Ridge Community College before joining the faculty at the Virginia Military Institute (VMI). There, she taught courses on writing and research, surprised by her students’ creativity.

“On Mondays, I give them 15 minutes to write whatever they like,” she shares. Some students, even those in engineering, created beautiful poems. “They’re often more detail-oriented and very open with their feelings,” she adds.

One particularly outspoken student reminded her of lively birds and inspired her poem, “Piebald Jack”. The poem reflects the spirit of curious, vocal learners in her classroom:

If Piebald Jack is every teacher’s favorite,
It is because he talks back.
In this voice is the blue jay that first says it back,
Pert in his noticeable blue-black jacket.
And the pileated woodpecker will beat it out,
A headstrong monotony reverberating,
Even in his red-crested head.
The crow, too, will call the rascal out,
Talking to the owl in the white pine and the hawk in the hemlock.
Both are here for the kill, and but for the jay,
The woodpecker and the crow, who could tell it?
They echo cacophony throughout the woods,
And the classroom forest sits up to listen,
Discerning the shortfall between light and shadow.

One day, while teaching, Mattie got a surprising call from the governor’s office. They asked if she would be the state’s poet laureate. “What does that involve?” she wondered. The response was encouraging: she could shape the role however she liked.

This opportunity excited her. Mattie wanted to share poetry with everyone, including veterans and people facing food or housing challenges. She envisioned hosting poetry contests, displaying winners’ work at local food banks, so patrons could enjoy them while waiting.

With her newfound title, Mattie continues to teach and write. She recently completed her PhD at Virginia Tech and often jots down ideas for new poems on notes scattered across her desk, eager to develop them when she finds the time.