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Free Fall: Writings on Voice, Desire, and Surrender
A stirring literary collection that explores the human experience with wisdom and honesty, by award-winning author Dustin Beall Smith
In Free Fall, author and writing teacher Dustin Beall Smith delivers a powerful collection of personal essays, talks, short fiction, and poetry. With a broad range of subjects—from American culture and academia to desire, failure, love, and the impermanence of all things—Smith delves into the lived life. At the same time, he champions the importance of process over product, attention over intention, and implicit meaning over overt messaging. He infuses his writing with humor, risk, and raw emotion, using these elements to write honestly about teaching, learning, and letting go.
Told from first-, second-, and third-person perspectives—and in poetry that dives deep into life’s vicissitudes—Smith’s work embraces the power of writing in one’s true voice.
In Free Fall, author and writing teacher Dustin Beall Smith delivers a powerful collection of personal essays, talks, short fiction, and poetry. With a broad range of subjects—from American culture and academia to desire, failure, love, and the impermanence of all things—Smith delves into the lived life. At the same time, he champions the importance of process over product, attention over intention, and implicit meaning over overt messaging. He infuses his writing with humor, risk, and raw emotion, using these elements to write honestly about teaching, learning, and letting go.
Told from first-, second-, and third-person perspectives—and in poetry that dives deep into life’s vicissitudes—Smith’s work embraces the power of writing in one’s true voice.
402 pages, Paperback
Published May 23, 2025
About the author
Dustin Beall Smith
4 books9 followersDustin Beall Smith is the author of Free Fall: Writings on Voice, Desire & Surrender (Not Two Press, 2025) and Key Grip: A Memoir of Endless Consequences (Houghton Mifflin, 2008), winner of the Bakeless Prize for Nonfiction.
His essays have appeared in many publications, including The New York Times Magazine, The Sun, and The Gettysburg Review, and Gray Love: Stories About Dating and Relationships After 60 (Rutgers University Press, 2023).
A former creative writing professor at Gettysburg College and key grip in the film industry, Smith brings a lifetime of storytelling, adventure, and insight to the page.
His essays have appeared in many publications, including The New York Times Magazine, The Sun, and The Gettysburg Review, and Gray Love: Stories About Dating and Relationships After 60 (Rutgers University Press, 2023).
A former creative writing professor at Gettysburg College and key grip in the film industry, Smith brings a lifetime of storytelling, adventure, and insight to the page.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 17, 2025
To be in Dusty’s inner circle is a gift. The book holds even more meaning for those with whom he was close during a season of life.
October 12, 2025
I know the author and I know the college where he taught writing, so the book feels familiar to me. I especially enjoyed his take on teaching writing. He is an inspired and inspiring teacher.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews