Born on April 16, 1972,
Tracy K. Smith was raised in Falmouth, Massachusetts. She studied at Harvard
and later went on to receive her MFA from Columbia University.
Smith is the author of
three books of poetry: The Body's Question (2003), which won the Cave
Canem prize for the best first book by an African-American poet; Duende
(2007), winner of the James Laughlin Award and the Essence Literary Award; and Life
on Mars (2011), which won the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry.
A review of Life on
Mars in The New York Times stated: "In “Life on Mars,” Smith
shows herself to be a poet of extraordinary range and ambition. It’s not easy
to be so convincing in both the grand gesture and the reverent contemplation of
a humble plate of eggs, and the early successes of this collection far outweigh
its later missteps. As all the best poetry does, “Life on Mars” first sends us
out into the magnificent chill of the imagination and then returns us to
ourselves, both changed and consoled.”
Smith teaches creative
writing at Princeton University and lives in Brooklyn, New York.
by Małgorzata Olsza
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