Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith '97SOA

The post of poet laureate is the nation’s highest honor in poetry. 

Born in Massachusetts and raised in California, Tracy received her MFA from Columbia’s School of the Arts. She attended Harvard for her undergraduate degree.

Tracy is on the faculty at Princeton University where she is director of the creative writing program. 

In addition to her teaching schedule, Tracy is the author of three widely praised collections, “The Body’s Question” (2003), “Duende” (2007) and “Life on Mars,” which won the 2012 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry.

Her recent poem, "Wade in the Water," from her upcoming collection is published alongside an audio version of the poem read by Smith herself in the New Yorker. Click here for Smith's "Wade in the Water".

Read more about Tracy Smith's appointment in the Washington Post. 

And read more about Tracy, her work, and poetry at this link on poets.org.