Mother Jones

THE GHOST WRITER

Tracy K. Smith stirs up America’s demons, if only to bring us a little peace.

BACK IN 2012, Princeton professor Tracy K. Smith won a Pulitzer Prize for the poetry collection Life on Mars. But her highest distinction came last year, when Smith, 46, was named US poet laureate. Wade in the Water, her latest book, deftly covers 250 years of the American experience, from the refugee’s plight to a company’s toxic spill to the complications of black motherhood. The

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from Mother Jones

Mother Jones1 min read
Contributions
Barcelona-based artist Guillem Casasús has illustrated some of our favorite issues, features, and packages—like this bubble-bursting cover for our dive into third parties. What’s getting you through the 2024 election cycle? To see our masthead, visit
Mother Jones5 min read
Sludge Report
DOSTIE FARM, an organic dairy in Fairfield, Maine, was thriving until one day in October 2020 when owner Egide Dostie Jr. got a call from Stonyfield, his exclusive buyer. Something was off with the farm’s milk: Tests had found that it contained three
Mother Jones9 min read
Well Played
THEY MIGHT NOT know his name, but millions of video gamers have encountered narrative designer Evan Narcisse’s handiwork in Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, which showcases more Black and Brown characters in its first few minutes than most popular

Related