Patti Smith is a writer, performer, and visual artist renowned for her revolutionary merging of poetry and rock music in the 1970s. Her work is characterized by a distinctive voice that blends literary depth with an energetic artistic expression. Beyond music, Smith also engages in visual arts and writing, continuously pushing the boundaries of artistic expression. Her creations delve into themes of identity, memory, and the search for meaning in art and life.
This trade publication of Before Easter After offers a broader audience access to a previously limited edition work that was priced at $1,000. It presents an opportunity for readers to explore the themes and artistry of the original edition, now available in a more accessible format.
A deeply moving and idiosyncratic visual diary by the National Book Award-winning author, this work features over 365 images that reflect Smith's unique aesthetic, inspired by her popular Instagram. In 2018, she began posting her first photo, a simple greeting, and continued to share snapshots from her life, including portraits of her children, everyday objects, and her Abyssinian cat, Cairo. Followers quickly connected with these glimpses into her world, showcasing her daily rituals, the books she reads, and the graves of literary heroes like William Blake and Sylvia Plath. As her collection grew, a narrative emerged, revealing a life dedicated to art that resonated with over a million followers. This book includes vintage photographs, such as anniversary pearls and a husband’s guitar, alongside never-before-seen images from her travels, capturing train stations and cafes. Through intimate daily notations, Smith offers insights from her journeys, presenting a year in photographs that invites readers into her expansive mind. Hopeful, elegiac, and playful, this timeless work serves as an inspirational map of an artist's life during uncertain times, accompanied by an introduction exploring her documentary process.
Tucked away in a remote stream valley in Vermont, a dynasty of beavers has nearly completed the restoration of the meadows and ponds that adorned this stream in the days before the beavers of a continent were turned into top hats. Willow, Popple, and their progeny begin the night's work of dam repair, scent marking, tree felling until a soft call alerts them to the arrival of the strange honorary member of their clan, this book's author, Patti Smith. They scramble ashore and poke eagerly about her feet as she prepares to picnic and to record the events that transpire on the shores of Popple's Pond
To honor the fortieth anniversary of her seminal album Horses, a revised and updated version of the iconic artist’s collected lyrics. This extraordinary collection from “rock and roll’s poet laureate” is a testimony to the fierce passion and uncompromising originality of Patti Smith’s music and writing. Building on the collection originally published in 1998, this new edition features more than thirty-five new songs, new artwork, and an introduction from Patti Smith herself. As relevant, fresh, and searing as when they were originally written, Smith’s lyrics capture her unique voice, raw in beauty, grace, and authenticity. Sharing a message of dedication, love, and compassion that speaks across the ages, Smith’s words empower fans and reveal the strong yet vulnerable heart of woman defined by her art.
It was the summer Coltrane died, the summer of love and riots, and the summer when a chance encounter in Brooklyn led two young people on a path of art, devotion, and initiation. Patti Smith would evolve as a poet and performer, and Robert Mapplethorpe would direct his highly provocative style toward photography. Bound in innocence and enthusiasm, they traversed the city from Coney Island to Forty-second Street, and eventually to the celebrated round table of Max's Kansas City, where the Andy Warhol contingent held court. In 1969, the pair set up camp at the Hotel Chelsea and soon entered a community of the famous and infamous—the influential artists of the day and the colorful fringe. It was a time of heightened awareness, when the worlds of poetry, rock and roll, art, and sexual politics were colliding and exploding. In this milieu, two kids made a pact to take care of each other. Scrappy, romantic, committed to create, and fueled by their mutual dreams and drives, they would prod and provide for one another during the hungry years. Just Kids begins as a love story and ends as an elegy. It serves as a salute to New York City during the late sixties and seventies and to its rich and poor, its hustlers and hellions. A true fable, it is a portrait of two young artists' ascent, a prelude to fame.
It was the summer Coltrane died, the summer of love and riots, and the summer when a chance encounter in Brooklyn led two young people on a path of art, devotion, and initiation. Patti Smith would evolve as a poet and performer, and Robert Mapplethorpe would direct his highly provocative style toward photography. Bound in innocence and enthusiasm, they traversed the city from Coney Island to Forty-second Street, and eventually to the celebrated round table of Max's Kansas City, where the Andy Warhol contingent held court. In 1969, the pair set up camp at the Hotel Chelsea and soon entered a community of the famous and infamous—the influential artists of the day and the colorful fringe. It was a time of heightened awareness, when the worlds of poetry, rock and roll, art, and sexual politics were colliding and exploding. In this milieu, two kids made a pact to take care of each other. Scrappy, romantic, committed to create, and fueled by their mutual dreams and drives, they would prod and provide for one another during the hungry years. Just Kids begins as a love story and ends as an elegy. It serves as a salute to New York City during the late sixties and seventies and to its rich and poor, its hustlers and hellions. A true fable, it is a portrait of two young artists' ascent, a prelude to fame.
Through inspiring anecdotes about her son Christopher, born with Down syndrome, the memoir explores life lessons and personal transformation. Patti Smith, a former attorney and life coach, reflects on her journey as a recovering perfectionist and overachiever. Her stories highlight the joys and challenges of motherhood while emphasizing the importance of embracing imperfection. Outside of writing, she enjoys traveling and cherishes moments with her six exceptional children.
Set in 1824, the establishment of a homestead in what is now downtown Ann Arbor marks the beginning of the town's rich history. The community's name is whimsically attributed to the founders' wives, though they were never in town simultaneously. The narrative highlights the contributions of early settlers who developed essential infrastructure, including schools, a courthouse, and streetcar lines. Their legacy is woven into the fabric of the town, evident in its streets and neighborhoods, reflecting the growth and evolution of Ann Arbor over the years.
An essential new collection of the lyrics of Patti Smith, writer, artist and musician, author of the international bestseller Just Kids
He left (or was left by) a number of girlfriends and he fathered five children along the way. He was apt to raise a bit of a ruckus at poetry readings and other public events. No one could be sure what he might do next except that he would write poetry and get published and that it would be widely read.".
