Tracy K. Smith was named Poet Laureate in 2017, at the beginning of the fierce partisan divide of the Trump era. She quickly turned to her craft to address the deep political divisions the election laid bare, putting together a collection called “American Journal: Fifty Poems for Our Time.” Then she hit the road, visiting community centers, senior centers, prisons, and colleges, and reading poems written by herself and others for groups small and large. “It was exhausting, and exhilarating, and it was probably the best thing I could have done as an American,” she told The New Yorker’s poetry editor, Kevin Young. This segment originally aired July 5, 2019.
No persons identified in this episode.
This episode hasn't been transcribed yet
Help us prioritize this episode for transcription by upvoting it.
Popular episodes get transcribed faster
Other episodes from The New Yorker Radio Hour
Transcribed and ready to explore now
How the Trump Administration Made Higher Education a Target
17 Oct 2025
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Brian Eno Knows “What Art Does”
03 Jun 2025
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Louisa Thomas on a Ballplayer’s Epic Final Game; Plus, Remembering the Composer of “Annie”
27 May 2025
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Cécile McLorin Salvant Performs Live In-Studio
23 May 2025
The New Yorker Radio Hour
From “On the Media” ’s “Divided Dial”: “Fishing in the Night”
20 May 2025
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson on President Joe Biden’s Decline, and Its Cover-Up
16 May 2025
The New Yorker Radio Hour