"[2] Smith's work has been published in a number of print and online publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The New Republic, Complex, GQ, Guernica, Harper's, Paris Review, Buzzfeed, New York Times Book Review, Bleacher Report, The Atlantic, The Guardian, Pitchfork, LitHub, The Nation, MTV, Salon, Ebony, and more.
He has appeared on MSNBC, CNN, Democracy NOW!, The Daily Show,[3] PBS Newshour,[4] NPR, Al Jazeera, and a number of other television and radio programs.
"[5] Melissa Harris-Perry described his book as "affirming, necessary, even delightful, despite its brutality and angst"[6] and Buzzfeed called it a "superbly thoughtful memoir.
"[7] The Minneapolis Star-Tribune review stated: "Smith's debut defies categorization" but ultimately "is a philosophical work" that "challenges us to confront our legacies of racism, patriarchy, homophobia and violence.
[15] His book Stakes Is High: Life After the American Dream won the 2020 Kirkus Prize for Nonfiction.