Welcome

Welcome to Moon Penny Musings.

I’m Laura Smith, a writer, teacher, and runner
based in Western Massachusetts.


Through the lens of a Gen X educator and lifelong student of literature, I weave together the endurance of marathon training with the delicate craft of storytelling, documenting my evolution as a writer on a freshly paved path to publication and self-discovery.

For more frequent reflections, poetry, and a behind-the-scenes look at my path to publication, join me over at Moon Penny Musings on Substack. Subscribe to get my latest essays delivered directly to your inbox

You can find more about me here.

Below you can find my latest entries.
You can also view my posts by category: Poetry, Fiction, and Non-Fiction.

Please reach out with comments, questions, or opportunities to collaborate.


Road to the TCS NYC Marathon: Part 4 (EEEK!)

As of this writing we are 63 (by the time I finish writing we might be at 60!) days away from the NYC Marathon. Sixty-three days until I will make my way to Staten Island and run through the five boroughs to Central Park for the 8th year in a row (minus 2020). Each year…

The Wildness Within

I am eight, climbing a tree in the graveyard next to our house. The bark is rough, yet my hands don’t feel it. I am five, hanging upside down on the bar of the swingset. I am a gymnast, my body is free to contrast, hang, and swing. I am fourteen, dancing to Billy Idol’s…

Finding Joy in Creativity

In memory of Deb Koffman (1966 – 2021) Deb Koffman was a local artist, whose whimsical pieces found a place in her gallery in the village of Housatonic Massachusetts. I met her a few times when I went to her gallery; her images brought joy to the viewer. I hadn’t been thinking about her, but…

About Me

I wrote and published my first blog post on May 26, 2009. I was about to turn 36 and had been accepted to Mount Holyoke College as a non-traditional student, on my way to completing a Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in Medieval Studies. I had managed, finally, to know what general direction I was traveling. As a self proclaimed voracious reader I knew that I needed a vocation that would allow me to engage daily with words: reading words, writing words, and hearing words. I also needed to eat, so I navigated my way to a teaching position and I began to fine tune my craft. I love to teach and I love my students, but I also needed to continue to hone my own literary technique, voice, and style. I continued my education in order to delve deeper into literature, making connections, and most definitely, writing. I gained more confidence as a reader as well as a writer of both creative and analytical text. That first blog post in 2009 is short, the writing average, and the topic mundane, but as I continued to learn from other writers I began to understand that to become a better writer I needed to write more. Each time I write and release a poem, a post, or a story, I hone my skills. I invite you along for the ride, for this journey of mine as I attempt to wrangle a wealth of ideas and competing directions into an organized freshly paved path to publication. I might get distracted along the way, but sometimes those detours lead us to amazing views and new friends.