The History Stacks: Steven Richard Smith talks about "The Boys of Rubber City" Artwork

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The History Stacks: Steven Richard Smith talks about "The Boys of Rubber City"

September 05, 2025

Steven Richard Smith has lived through several "careers," all which have led to literature, both as an author and a teacher. A former Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agent in the 1990's in California, Smith returned to Ohio to seek his twin passions. Smith earned his Master of Arts in English from the University of Akron. He created the game Sentence Smackdown to teach grammar to students, and is the author of novels, short stories and poetry.

Speaking with host Dr. Lawrence Knorr, Smith recalls his Ohio boyhood in the new novel, The Boys of Rubber City, available on the Local History Press imprint of Sunbury Press Books. Akron of the 1970's is a time Boomers and Gen X'ers will recall with fondness (hopefully), of growing up in a working class neighborhood where kids made their own fun, and not under the watchful eyes of parents.

Smith's other works include King of Methamphetamine Valley, stemming from his days as an ATF agent, The Trial of Agent Whitehall and The Accidental Girlfriend. He lives in Massillon, Ohio.