SOURCE: "Stevie Smith's Voices," in Contemporary Literature, Vol. 33, No. 1, Spring, 1992, pp. 24-45.

Below, Stevenson explores the modes of expression in Smith's verse, maintaining that the "multivoiced character" of many of her poems "arise[s from her emphasis on contending voices and her echoes of specific literary traditions and texts."]

Among tales of sixties poetry festivals, jazz-infused events that sometimes drew crowds in the thousands, one finds the legend of a woman in her sixties, small and frail, wearing schoolgirl dresses and white stockings, often sharing the stage with a much younger, denim- and leather-clad male gang. Such a setting (like that of a jewel) encapsulates a dominant impression of Stevie Smith's relationship to other poets, since a striking originality, a complete separation from poetic fashion, is for many the hallmark of her work. Yet the key appeal of Smith's immensely popular, show-stealing performances was not her oddball appearance...