Long before Tracy K. Smith was a poet, she was a young girl fascinated by the stars. That fascination was part of what inspired her book Life on Mars, which won a Pulitzer Prize in 2012.
Smith is in Kansas City for an event to benefit Writers for Readers, a partnership between LiteracyKC and the University of Missouri-Kansas City's Creative Writing Program.
She also paid a visit to Kansas City back in 2012, to read for Rockhurst University’s Midwest Poets Series. New Letters on the Air recorded Smith's talk. This excerpt includes her reading her poem "Sci Fi":
Tracy K. Smith's entire 2012 reading for Rockhurst University's Midwest Poets Series is archived at New Letters On The Air.
C.J. Janovy is an arts reporter for KCUR 89.3. You can find her on Twitter, @cjjanovy.
Angela Elam is the producer and host of New Letters on the Air, Sundays at 6 a.m. on KCUR and on Twitter @NewLettersRadio.
