Fear Less - Poetry in Perilous Times

Drawing on deep passion and personal experience, former US Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith demystifies the art form that has too often been mischaracterised as "inaccessible", "irrelevant" or "intimidating". She argues that poetry is rooted in fundamentally human qualities innate to our capacities to love, dream, question and engage across diverse cultures and backgrounds. Lifting the veil on her own creative process, Smith shows us how reading and writing poetry allows us to confront life's many uncertainties and losses, to build camaraderie with strangers and to understand ourselves. She grounds readers in the technical elements of the craft and provides close readings of the works of contemporary poets, alongside classic poems. By reimagining and re-examining the age-old art form, Fear Less is a warm invitation to find meaning, consolation and hope through poetry.

About the author

Tracy K. Smith is a professor at Harvard University and a Susan S. and Kenneth L. Wallach Professor at Harvard Radcliffe Institute. She served as the 22nd US poet laureate and is the author of five poetry collections, including the Pulitzer Prize winner Life on Mars.

Product details

• Authors: Tracy K Smith, Smith Tracy K.
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Release: 18.11.2025
• EAN: 9781324050988
• ISBN: 978-1-324-05098-8
• Series: A Norton Short
• Subjects: Guides > Law, job, finance > Training, job, career; Poetry, LITERARY CRITICISM / Poetry, Literary studies: poetry & poets, Language learning: writing skills, Writing skills, Creative writing & creative writing guides, Creative writing and creative writing guides, LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Writing / Poetry, LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Writing / General, POETRY / American / African American & Black, Literary studies: poetry and poets, Poetry / Poems