50 Poems of America

The Brian Lehrer Show | Sep 26, 2018

Tracy K. Smith, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet serving as 22nd Poet Laureate of the United States and editor of American Journal: Fifty Poems for Our Time (Graywolf Press, 2018), talks about the 50 contemporary poems she selected that "bear witness to what it means to come from and belong to this remarkably vast and varied nation." She reads, "Downhearted" by poet Ada Limón, and "becoming a horse" by poet Ross Gay, from the collection. 

Be alert for scams. WNYC never asks for nor accepts money for coverage or interviews. Anyone making such a request does not represent WNYC.

WNYC is funded by sponsors and member donations

Top Stories

Your guide to voting in New York's 2026 elections for governor and Congress

A primer on the races for governor, attorney general and the congressional districts that could help determine control of the U.S. House.
Gothamist |

Gina Hinojosa Aims to Make Texas Blue Again. Plus, Reading Is Alive and Well

A Texas Democrat is running neck and neck with the Republican incumbent in the governor’s race. And a staff writer says that news of the demise of books is greatly exaggerated.
The New Yorker Radio Hour |

Claire Valdez on populism and the DSA agenda in Congress

Who’s Running This Place |

The Classroom/Technology Pipeline

Natasha Singer's new book explores how big tech became ensconced in our childrens' classrooms
On the Media |
YOU ARE ONLINE