“Not Waving but Drowning” is a poem by Stevie Smith and was first published as part of a collection with the same title in 1957. The poem has been linked to Smith’s personal life with the account interpreted as her struggle with psychological...

Stevie Smith was a British poet and author of three novels, including Novel on Yellow Paper. She was born in 1902 in Northeastern England. Her parents divorced when she was young, and as a result she lived with several extended family members....