Dr. Smilie joined the English department at College of the Ozarks in 2017. Dr. Smilie has published papers on Homer, Boethius, Dante, Chaucer, Thomas More, Milton, Austen, G.K. Chesterton, and Laura Ingalls Wilder, ranging over a number of topics, including philosophical, theological, and poetic portrayals curiosity and depictions of pedagogical practices in works of fiction.