'Poems help me wrestle with my fears': Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Tracy K. Smith

Pulitzer-winning poet Tracy K. Smith argues poetry is not a puzzle to solve, but a vital tool for confronting fear in an uncertain world. | Contesto: cronaca

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• 'Poems help me wrestle with my fears': Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Tracy K. Smith

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In a conversation in Paris this Tuesday, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and former U.S. Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith issued a compelling call to reframe our relationship with poetry, urging the public to stop treating poems as cryptic puzzles and instead embrace them as essential companions for navigating contemporary anxieties. The Harvard professor and author of five collections, including the award-winning "Life on Mars," was in the French capital to discuss her work "Fear Less: Poetry in Perilous Times," positioning the art form as a direct response to the turbulence of the modern era. Smith's argument challenges a common, often intimidating, perception of poetry as an elite code to be deciphered. She advocates for an approach centered on personal resonance and emotional utility rather than academic interpretation. "Poems help me wrestle with my fears," she stated, framing the act of reading and writing poetry as a form of engagement with the world's complexities, not a retreat from them. This perspective seeks to democratize poetry, inviting readers to find their own meaning and solace within the lines without the pressure of uncovering a single, “correct” analysis. The timing and title of her discussed work, "Fear Less: Poetry in Perilous Times," are pointedly relevant. Smith connects the ancient practice of poetry to urgent, present-day concerns—from political polarization and social injustice to existential threats like climate change. Her own celebrated collection, "Life on Mars," which won the 2012 Pulitzer Prize, grappled with themes of loss, cosmology, and human fragility, demonstrating how poetic inquiry can span the intimately personal and the vastly universal. As a former Poet Laureate of the United States from 2017 to 2019, Smith has long worked to bring poetry into public spaces and conversations, a mission that directly informs her current thesis. Her academic role at Harvard University underscores a dual commitment to both the craft's highest scholarly standards and its broad public accessibility. This balance is central to her philosophy: to honor poetry's depth and technique while insisting on its fundamental role as a tool for human...

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Categoria: cronaca