As Poet Laureate, Tracy K. Smith Hit the Road
b'Tracy K. Smith was named Poet Laureate in 2017, at the beginning of the fierce partisan divide of the Trump era. She quickly turned to her craft to address the deep political divisions the election laid bare, putting together a collection called \\u201cAmerican Journal: Fifty Poems for Our Time.\\u201d Then she hit the road, visiting community centers, senior centers, prisons, and colleges, and reading poems written by herself and others for groups small and large. \\u201cIt was exhausting, and exhilarating, and it was probably the best thing I could have done as an American,\\u201d she told\\xa0The New Yorker\\u2019s\\xa0poetry editor, Kevin Young.\\xa0\\xa0\\nThis segment originally aired July 5, 2019.'