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Bill Smoot

@billinberkeley.bsky.social

Writer, teacher at Mount Tamalpais College at San Quentin Prison.

Bill Smoot @billinberkeley.bsky.social · 13/03/2026

I don’t visit Kentucky much now, but my roots are strong. I grew up in a small town called Maysville. It felt familiar—like a nest. I knew everyone in Maysville, and I loved it there.

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Bill Smoot @billinberkeley.bsky.social · 12/03/2026

The cover for my forthcoming literary fiction novel, SAN QUENTIN EXODUS, is here. A story infused with pain, but also with a fierce humanity and hope, SAN QUENTIN EXODUS is a braided novel about two people whose lives cross in a quest to reset an ill-fated life.

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Bill Smoot @billinberkeley.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

Another hiking picture with Artemis. She’s more interested in the view than the camera. #dogsofbluesky

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Bill Smoot @billinberkeley.bsky.social · 03/03/2026

Someone noted the many animals in my work. It’s not my rational plan; they appear in my imagination with the delight & surprise animals often have in our lives. That’s why I love this photo of my previous dog, Athena. It records an unlikely meeting of two creatures in the East Bay hills.

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Bill Smoot @billinberkeley.bsky.social · 27/02/2026

When working on my forthcoming novel, SAN QUENTIN EXODUS, I avoided reading fiction set in prisons. I didn’t want those works to bleed into my own creation. With my novel complete, I could read Rachel Kushner’s highly acclaimed THE MARS ROOM. It’s a compelling read by a great writer. #booksky

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Bill Smoot @billinberkeley.bsky.social · 27/02/2026

I’ve always been a dog person. #dogsofbluesky

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Bill Smoot @billinberkeley.bsky.social · 26/02/2026

My muse, Artemis.

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Bill Smoot @billinberkeley.bsky.social · 24/02/2026

Bill Smoot, writer and humanities teacher at Mount Tamalpais College in San Quentin Prison My novel, SAN QUENTIN EXODUS, will be out in June, and my short story collection, NOT SO LONG AGO, in November.

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