John William Smith (10 August 1927 – 16 March 2018)[1] was a Canadian poet.
He then studied philosophy in London, and later returned to Toronto to earn an MA in English.
He served a term as Dean of Arts at the University of Prince Edward Island, taught there for many years, and is currently Professor Emeritus.
As the author of several volumes of verse, Smith's work has appeared in a number of anthologies, including The New Poets of Prince Edward Island (1991), Landmarks (2001), and Coastlines: Poetry of Atlantic Canada (2002).
In 2002, Smith was the first to be appointed poet laureate of Prince Edward Island, and held the position until 2004.