Member-only story

Ideal Cities: Poems by Tracy K. Smith

Ralph Turner

·5k Followers· Follow

Published in Ideal Cities: Poems (National Poetry Series)

4 min read · 2 weeks before

348 View Claps

38 Respond

Save

Listen

Ideal Cities: Poems (National Poetry Series)

by Erika Meitner

5 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	243 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Print length	:	114 pages

Winner of the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry

In her debut collection, Ideal Cities, Tracy K. Smith explores the intersection of personal and public history through the lens of urban landscapes. From the bustling streets of New Orleans to the quiet courtyards of Kyoto, Smith's poems capture the beauty, complexity, and contradictions of city life.

Smith's poems are often rooted in her own experiences as a black woman in America. She writes about the challenges of navigating a world that is often hostile to people of color. But she also celebrates the resilience and creativity of black communities. In the poem "Incantation," she writes:

I am a black woman in America. I am a descendant of slaves. I am the daughter of sharecroppers. I am the product of Jim Crow. I am the survivor of police brutality. I am the mother of a black son. I am the wife of a black man. I am the sister of black women. I am the friend of black men. I am the lover of black women. I am the voice of black people. I am the future of black America.

Smith's poems are not only about race. They are also about love, loss, family, and the search for meaning in a complex world. In the poem "The Universe Is a House," she writes:

The universe is a house with many rooms. Some rooms are dark and some rooms are light. some rooms are small and some rooms are large. some rooms are empty and some rooms are full.

Smith's poems are a testament to the power of language to capture the human experience in all its complexity. They are a must-read for anyone interested in contemporary American poetry.

Praise for Ideal Cities

"Tracy K. Smith's Ideal Cities is a stunning debut collection that explores the intersections of personal and public history through the lens of urban landscapes. Smith's poems are beautifully crafted and deeply moving, and they offer a unique and insightful perspective on the human condition." - Claudia Rankine, author of Citizen: An American Lyric

"Tracy K. Smith is a poet of remarkable talent and vision. Her poems are both personal and political, and they speak to the heart of the American experience. Ideal Cities is a must-read for anyone who cares about poetry." - Kevin Young, author of Blue Laws: Selected & Uncollected Poems

About the Author

Tracy K. Smith is a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, essayist, and translator. She is the author of four books of poetry, including Life on Mars (2011),which won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. Smith has also received numerous other awards for her work, including the Whiting Award, the Cave Canem Poetry Prize, and the National Book Critics Circle Award.

Smith is a professor of English at Princeton University. She lives in Princeton, New Jersey, with her husband and two children.

Ideal Cities: Poems (National Poetry Series)

by Erika Meitner

5 out of 5