Meredith Asks An Expert: Tracy K. Smith on Poetry, Process & Why Poems “Teach” Us

Pulitzer Prize–winning poet and former U.S. Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith sits down for Meredith Asks An Expert—answering student-submitted questions on community, creative process, revision, memoir (Ordinary Light), and why poems can “teach” their writers. Smith visited Meredith College to deliver the 2025 Lillian Parker Wallace Lecture (Sept 18, 2025), meet with students, read new and published poems, and sign books. Her memoir Ordinary Light is Meredith’s 2025 Summer Reading Program selection. During the lecture, Smith reflected on poetry’s power to draw us toward others and to rekindle care across differences. https://www.meredith.edu/news/pulitze... Chapters 00:00 Hook 00:10 Intro 00:24 Community & the creative life 02:11 How poems begin (uncertainty, wish, need) 04:35 Process & revision 11:12 Writing difficult scenes (Ordinary Light) 13:26 Poet Laureate insights 21:18 Why literature matters Meredith College challenges students to discover what makes them strong, build on those strengths, and prepare to make a positive impact on the world. With more than 90 majors and minors, over 30 graduate and certificate programs, and StrongPoints®, a powerful strengths-focused personal coaching initiative, it’s no wonder U.S. News, The Princeton Review, and Niche have all named Meredith a “Best College.” Wherever you’re going in life, lead with your strengths – and go strong.