News at Eleven: The most intensely personal part of

the process for me comes while I'm writing a poem. That's when I need to feel fearless and unself-conscious. But by the time I decide to publish a poem--which is to say, by the time the poem has taught or revealed to me whatever it has to offer--I'm already ready to relinquish that kind of intimacy with it. The fact that this collection has gotten wider attention than it might otherwise have received actually makes me feel grateful, as if my private tribute to my father has become something shared.

from Nashville Scene: Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Tracy K. Smith talks about inspiration, personal reflection and recitation

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