TÉ V. SMITH is a Nigerian-American educator, writer, and youth advocate. His fiction has appeared in Tin House, Griffel, Blavity, The Dillydoun Review, and other publications. His work was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2025. Smith is a Disney+ Reimagine Tomorrow Writer in Residence and the recipient of the 2026 Tennessee Williams Very Short Fiction Prize.
In addition to his writing, he leads workshops and lectures on creative writing, education reform, interfaith dialogue, and healthy masculinity across the United States and internationally. Based in New Orleans, Smith works with nonprofit organizations to facilitate workshops and courses for young writers and community leaders, using storytelling as a tool for healing, empowerment, and social change.
I resist & explore. I don't have many certainties. In fact, even those certainties ain't really certainties—more like a small number of ever-evolving considerations. I believe we all stumble and soar as we expand into larger versions of ourselves. I believe that, on that journey, we experience and share much beauty and injury. I believe everyone is fragile (even the ones who made you fragile). I believe in reflection and growth. I believe that everyone (who wants to) can be redeemed. I believe that some things aren't meant to be redeemed. Some things are vital to the essence of your unique imprint. I write fiction and design learning spaces that explore these truths.
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L.H.A. Publishing LLC
Founded by writer, educator, and activist Té V. Smith, L.H.A. Publishing is a mission-driven independent press committed to amplifying underrepresented voices and stories that matter. Grounded in the belief that those most impacted by social and policy change should be at the center of cultural production, L.H.A. cultivates literary spaces for authentic expression, critical reflection, and transformative storytelling. Our publishing work focuses on three primary areas: youth literary journals that elevate emerging writers, intergenerational narratives that foster dialogue across age and experience, and children’s books that affirm identity, imagination, and justice. We currently publish works of creative nonfiction, young adult fiction, and poetry that reflect the complexities of lived experience and expand the literary canon. At L.H.A., we believe literature is both a mirror and a map, offering readers reflections of themselves and new pathways forward. Through intentional curation and collaborative editorial practice, we support writers whose voices deserve to be heard, shared, and remembered.