Such Color: New and Selected Poems

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Fans of the prolific former U.S. Poet Laureate will be pleased and satisfied now that this new collection is available. The book contains poems from Tracy K. Smith’s previous collections published from 2003 through the current year, including thirty new works and several pages of explanatory notes. Smith is known as an intelligent poet who often writes in response to current moments, addressing racism and injustice of all kinds. Earlier poems address the body, love, prayer, space, even a John Ford film. Most poems are no more than one or two pages in length (although the font is small; a detriment for older eyes). Still some require effort on the part of the reader: patience at times, fortitude often. The poem “Joy” asks: “What do you believe in?” From this collection, it is easier to identify what moves Ms. Smith, what pains and angers her. Not for the faint of heart are sentiments such as: “Our time is brief. We dwindle by the day.” But there are a fair share of poems that acknowledge beauty as well as violence, and even bits of humor such as “The universe is a house party.” I was particularly taken with a poignant series of poems as letters written in the voices of soldiers and family members during the Civil War, asking for freedom, for pay, for the release of their loved ones.


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Author
Star Count 5/5
Format Trade
Page Count 256 pages
Publisher Graywolf Press
Publish Date 05-Oct-2021
ISBN 9781644450673
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Issue November 2021
Category Poetry & Short Stories
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