Whiting Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 21 (2005) Winner
Tracy K. Smith
トレイシー・K・スミス
Tracy K. Smith
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1972-04-16 （Falmouth, Massachusetts, U.S.）
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Fairfield, California, U.S. → Boerum Hill, Brooklyn, New York, U.S. → Massachusetts, U.S.
Career
- Occupations
- Poet, Educator, Professor
- Active Years
- 1997-
- Affiliations
- Princeton University (former), Harvard University (English; African and African American Studies), Harvard Radcliffe Institute (Wallach Professor), Lewis Center for the Arts (former Chair)
- Memberships
- American Philosophical Society, Phi Beta Kappa
- Influenced By
- Emily Dickinson, Mark Twain, Elizabeth Bishop, Seamus Heaney, Philip Larkin, Yusef Komunyakaa, Rita Dove
- Nominations
- Ordinary Light: A Memoir — National Book Award (Nonfiction) finalist (2015)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harvard University | — | English/Literature | BA | 1990–1994 | United States |
| Columbia University | — | Creative Writing (MFA) | MFA | 1995–1997 | United States |
| Stanford University (Stegner Fellow) | — | Poetry (Fellowship) | — | 1997–1999 | United States |
Harvard University
English/Literature
Degree:
BA
Period:
1990–1994
Year of Graduation:
1994
Country:
United States
Studied with Helen Vendler and others
Columbia University
Creative Writing (MFA)
Degree:
MFA
Period:
1995–1997
Year of Graduation:
1997
Country:
United States
MFA in Creative Writing
Stanford University (Stegner Fellow)
Poetry (Fellowship)
Period:
1997–1999
Year of Graduation:
1999
Country:
United States
Stegner Fellowship in Poetry
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Pulitzer Prize for Poetry | Life on Mars | — | Pulitzer Prize Board | 受賞 |
| 2006 | James Laughlin Award | Duende | — | Academy of American Poets | 受賞 |
| 2005 | Whiting Award | — | — | The Whiting Foundation | 受賞 |
| 2002 | Cave Canem Prize | The Body's Question | — | Cave Canem Foundation | 受賞 |
| 2017 | Poet Laureate of the United States | — | — | Library of Congress | 任命（2017–2019） |
Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
2012
Work:
Life on Mars
Organization:
Pulitzer Prize Board
Result:
受賞
James Laughlin Award
2006
Work:
Duende
Organization:
Academy of American Poets
Result:
受賞
Whiting Award
2005
Organization:
The Whiting Foundation
Result:
受賞
Cave Canem Prize
2002
Work:
The Body's Question
Organization:
Cave Canem Foundation
Result:
受賞
Poet Laureate of the United States
2017
Organization:
Library of Congress
Result:
任命（2017–2019）
Awards & Nominations
James Laughlin Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 53 (2006) Winner
Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
1 appearances
-
Edition 94 (2012) Winner
Anisfield-Wolf Book Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 84 (2019) Winner
Works
Major Works
The Body's Question
2003 Poetry collectionDebut collection exploring memory, the body, and questions of faith.
BodyMemoryFaith
Duende
2007 Poetry collectionA darker, concentrated collection engaging with mortality and artistic force; winner of the James Laughlin Award.
DeathArtistic impulse (duende)Identity
Life on Mars
2011 Poetry collection (with science-fiction motifs)A collection that pays homage to the author's father and mixes themes of space, loss, and wonder; winner of the 2012 Pulitzer Prize.
SpaceLossFamily
Wade in the Water
2018 Poetry collectionA collection weaving race, history, and personal memory, notable for its emotional range and social perspective.
RaceHistoryMemory
Such Color: New and Selected Poems
2021 Poetry collection (new and selected)A volume of new and selected poems offering an overview of recurring themes and stylistic development.
TimeLanguagePersonal history
Ordinary Light: A Memoir
2015 Memoir (nonfiction)A memoir about her poetic vocation, family, and faith; finalist for the National Book Award.
FamilyFaithFormation of a poet
To Free the Captives
2023 NonfictionAn essay collection addressing America's past, present challenges, and hopes.
American historySocial justiceMemory
Bibliography
- The Body's Question (2003)
- Duende (2007)
- Life on Mars (2011)
- Ordinary Light: A Memoir (2015)
- Wade in the Water (2018)
- Such Color: New and Selected Poems (2021)
- To Free the Captives (2023)
Adaptations
- Castor and Patience (libretto; opera premiered 2022)
Translations by Author
- My Name Will Grow Wide like a Tree: Selected Poems (Yi Lei; translated/edited by Tracy K. Smith and Bi Changtai, 2020)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Clear, lyrical styleUse of scientific and cosmic imageryBlend of traditional forms and contemporary sensibility
- Recurring Motifs
- Space/starsLoss and griefFather and family memoriesRace and historyFaith and desire
Legacy
A major figure in contemporary American poetry, widely recognized through a Pulitzer Prize and service as U.S. Poet Laureate; also influential as an educator.
Academic Societies
- American Philosophical Society
- Phi Beta Kappa
Archives
- Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library, Emory University (Tracy K. Smith papers)
In Popular Culture
- Host of the radio/podcast program 'The Slowdown' (2018–2020)
Quotes
-
My god, it's full of stars.
Source: Life on Mars (2011)
Trivia
- Her father worked as an engineer on the Hubble Space Telescope project; Life on Mars pays homage to him.
- Served as U.S. Poet Laureate from 2017 to 2019.
- Has written libretti for operas; Castor and Patience premiered in 2022.