Spotlight On Writers
Brian Wayne Smith
- Where, do you hail from?
I grew up in a little town named Villa Ridge; which is located in southern Illinois. After I graduated from Mound’s Meridian High School in 1998 I moved to Kentucky for two years and got my AS degree in Electronic Engineering Technology from a college that’s no longer around. In 2001 I moved to Cedar Rapids, Iowa for a job I had applied for. I’ve been living in Cedar Rapids now for 16 years 3 months.
- What is the greatest thing about the place you call home?
Great thing about Cedar Rapids, it’s truly the “mid-west”. If I want to travel it’s easy to do so; whether it’s driving or flying. Chicago is only four hours away, Twin Cities are five hours, St. Louis is also five. Nebraska is four. These are all just driving times.
Besides being the mid-west, I love the outdoors. Cedar Rapids has the big city feel but has the country get-away within 20 or 30 minutes of driving. Summer is my favorite time of year. Camping, bonfires, floating down the rivers, boating and of course fishing are just a few of the great pleasures of “C.R.” has to offer.
The greatest thing about Cedar Rapids isn’t a thing at all. She’s a person. My wife is from Cedar Rapids. She’s been the greatest gift God has given me.
- What turns you on creatively?
Sitting silently and observing the world around me. Afterward thinking about how to express my feeling differently than someone else.
- What is your favorite word, and can you use it in a poetic sentence?
Don’t really have a favorite word. The first word that came to mind was “light”.
Even in the midst of darkness we have the light within to brighten our path.
- What is your pet peeve?
My pet-peeve is when people complain about things that are changeable in their own lives, but choose not to do so. If you’re not willing to make the effort or you give up too quick; then just stay quiet. You are your own faults.
- What defines Brian Wayne Smith?
I’m just a man that has learned different lessons of life the hard way. I share the lessons learned in hope that others will avoid going down the same path.
I'm a husband, father, business owner of BRAYNE, LLC, a clothing company that promotes positivity by way of fashion, a writer, a student and an electronic engineering test technician. Life is busy but I'm striving to live my dreams with my great family that I love deeply. There are times when I feel like a failure. Then I look at how many times I've fallen just to dust myself off and continue running the race. Now I can look around at my life and see that my "failures" were just locked doors that God wasn't ready to open yet.
- Courvoisier - January 16, 2018
- Why Tomorrow - December 30, 2017
- 10 Commandments of America - December 7, 2017
