The speaker received a beautiful blurb from Ellen Bass who highlighted one of the speaker's favorite poems. The speaker was unsure about including the poem in the book but realized the importance of trusting the work, even when doubting its strength. The speaker reflected on the challenge of truly understanding their own work and expressed that writing is a process of discovery, both about the poem, themselves, and the world. They emphasized the importance of maintaining a level of mystery and not over-analyzing their own work, as this keeps the creative energy alive and the process engaging. Ultimately, the speaker sees writing as an indefinite pursuit, as they cannot imagine doing anything else.
Poet and writer Maggie Smith talks with host Hanif Abdurraqib about putting a new book out during the pandemic, homemade mac 'n' cheese, jigsaw puzzles, napping in hammocks and inheriting your parents' record collection.