Tracy K. Smith, Poet Laureate

Photo: Slowking4

Congratulations to Tracy K. Smith, named today by the Library of Congress as the nation’s 22nd Poet Laureate.

Librarian of Congress Names Tracy K. Smith Poet Laureate

Here’s a brief Q&A with the Library.

Welcome to our New Poet Laureate!

Smith has been a contributor to The Awl’s Poetry Section from almost the very beginning. Here’s ‘My God, It’s Full of Stars’ from 2010.

The Poetry Section: Tracy K. Smith

And here’s “The Angels,” from just last month.

A Poem by Tracy K. Smith

“Poems are friendly, and they teach us how to read them,” Smith tells the Times.

Tracy K. Smith Is the New Poet Laureate