Collections Spotlight: Tracy K. Smith

Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith visits the Poetry and Literature Center, May 22, 2017. Photo by Shawn Miller.
Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith visits the Poetry and Literature Center, May 22, 2017. Photo by Shawn Miller.

Tracy K. Smith was appointed the Library’s 22nd Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry on June 14, 2017 and began serving on September 13, 2017. Her mission the Library’s chief poet is to bring poetry to rural areas.

“I wanted to go into the more rural communities that don’t have programming on a consistent basis, where people’s lives are equally affected by the kinds of questions and memories that poems can draw upon. If writers and scholars are only talking to each other, we’re missing out on a huge part of the story.”

From the Catbird Seat podcast: Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith

“The Good Life” Poem 002 on the Poetry 180 website

Tracy K. Smith biography

Articles

Library blog posts

Learning from the Source: The Declaration, Her Declaration, Your Declaration lesson

Select Tracy K. Smith digital resources from outside the Library

‘Poetry Lives Everywhere’: Interview with Tracy K. Smith NPR

Teach This Poem: Flores Woman by Tracy K. Smith Academy of American Poets

More poetry primary source collections from the Library