Veronica Smith

Writer and artist, Veronica Smith is the Co-Founder of The Vulgar Geniuses, a literary organization dedicated to highlighting the works of Black, Asian, Latino, and Indigenous authors, filmmakers, and artists founded in 2020. For five years, she has advocated for literacy as a co-host of the Vulgar Geniuses Podcast. She has interviewed creatives such as Macarthur Genius Grant recipient Kiese Laymon, National Book Award Finalist Deesha Philyaw, Peabody Award winner & New York Times bestselling author Phil Yu, and Sundance award-winning filmmaker Martika Ramirez Escobar. She is currently the co-host of the Midnight Marauders Story Hour, a quarterly event that features writers who live in Florida.

Veronica has continuously dedicated herself to contributing to the strong art community in Central Florida. Her early work in poetry started as a member of the Winter Park Say Anything Slam team. The team went on to compete at the National Poetry Slam in 2004 and 2005. She represented Florida at the International World Poetry Slam in 2005, and Orlando at the 2008 Southern Fried Slam in Tallahassee, Florida.

After graduating with a Bachelor of Science from Florida A & M University, Veronica’s professional career led her into the education field with the Orange County Public Schools. She then moved to work in the School District of Osceola County as a media specialist at Osceola High School.Even after leaving education, she continues to remain committed to promoting literacy to children and adults. Veronica lives her life with the motto that“Reading is Revolutionary,” and that every moment that she can empower a child, or an adult, to read a book where they can see their lives reflected in the pages, is truly the most rewarding experience she will ever want to have.