William Jay Smith (April 22, 1918 – August 18, 2015) served as U.S. Poet Laureate from 1968 to 1970. He was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Smith published ten books of poems, including The World Below the Window (1998), and Celebration at Dark (1950), a memoir, Army Brat (1980), selected criticism, The Streaks of the Tulip,/em> (1972), a play, and several books of poetry for children. He also translated poetry from French and Spanish to English, including works by Alain Bosquet, Jules Laforgue, and Federico Garcia Lorca. Smith taught at Williams College, Columbia University, and Hollins University.
