KQED's Forum Former Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith Urges Us to 'Fear Less'
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Nov 18, 2025 Tracy K. Smith, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and former U.S. Poet Laureate, dives into the accessibility of poetry in her conversation. She invites listeners to engage with poems through multiple meanings rather than seeking a single interpretation. By highlighting the emotional impact of poetry and how it can connect us across differences, Tracy suggests reading aloud as a way to deepen understanding. She reflects on the timeless resonance of works by Emily Dickinson and Mary Oliver, asserting that poetry fosters curiosity and community, especially in times of loss.
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Poems Value Multiplicity Over Single Answers
- Poems welcome multiplicity rather than a single definitive meaning.
- Tracy K. Smith says poems explore contradiction and shifting feelings to mirror lived experience.
Start With 'What Do I Notice?'
- After reading a poem, ask yourself: 'What do I notice?'.
- Noticing invites varied observations (form, sound, enjambment) rather than hunting for one right answer.
How 'I'm Nobody' Changed Over Time
- Tracy recalls discovering Dickinson as a child and later reinterpreting 'I'm Nobody' as an adult.
- The poem shifted from playful delight to a lens on social erasure and citizenship for her.
