Carol Smith is the author of CROSSING THE RIVER: SEVEN STORIES THAT SAVED MY LIFE, A MEMOIR (Abrams Books, 2021), which was a finalist for the Washington State Book Award. She is an award-winning narrative journalist specializing in documentary storytelling for print, audio, and video. Her work has appeared in The Washington Post, The Seattle Times, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Psychology Today and Today. Currently, she works as an editor for NPR affiliate KUOW Public Radio in Seattle.
Before moving to radio, Carol worked for many years at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and for the Los Angeles Times. Carol’s newspaper work has won dozens of national and regional awards and has been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in explanatory and feature reporting categories multiple times. Carol has also won national investigative awards and was a co-finalist for Harvard University’s Goldsmith Investigative Reporting Prize for the series, “Uncivil Action” about the deadly fallout of asbestos mining in Montana.
In addition, Carol’s writing has been nominated for Emmys for the documentaries that stemmed from her narrative investigations “Lifesaving Drugs, Deadly Consequences” and “The Devil in the Medicine Cabinet,” both of which aired on public television. Her story, “The Cipher in Room 214” led the anthology, The Best Creative Nonfiction (W. W. Norton 2007) and was a PEN Literary Award finalist. Her work has appeared in more than a dozen literary journals, including The New Guard, The Florida Review, The Southern Indiana Review, and Briar Cliff Review. Her essay, “Object Lessons” in Hippocampus was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2017. She was recently named “Editor of the Year” by The Public Media Journalists Association (PMJA).
One of Carol’s great passions has been working with KUOW’s youth radio group, teaching high-school students from diverse backgrounds to tell their personal stories for radio in their own voices. It’s through stories, she believes, that we truly discover our common humanity.
Selected journalism awards
Winner, Society of Professional Journalists New America Award 2013. “Center of Detention” (with Lewis Kamb).
Winner, Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism 2009. “Gravely Disabled.”
Second Place, American Association of Health Care Journalists 2009. Series: “Dangerous and Mentally Ill.”
First Place, Blethen Award 2008. “Doctor, Climber, Patriot, Spy.”
First Place, American Association of Sunday and Features Editors 2007. Narrative Writing, “Life in the Balance.”
PEN USA, Literary Nonfiction, finalist, 2006. “The Cipher in Room 214.”
First Place, Blethen Award 2006. Diversity coverage. “Hard Work, Hard Times.”
First Place, American Association of Sunday and Features Editors 2006. Narrative writing, “Cipher in Room 214.”
First Place, American Association of Sunday and Features Editors 2005, Narrative Writing, “A Time to Live.”
First Place, Best of the West 2003. Project Reporting : “Fate and Fortitude, Kellie’s Story.”
Co-Finalist, Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting 2001. “Uncivil Action.” (with Andrew Schneider)
Upton Sinclair award for Outstanding Health, Safety and Environmental Journalism 2001, “Asbestos: The Forgotten Killer.” (with Andrew Schneider)