Wednesday, March 23 at 8pm ET | 5pm PT, PBS Books, in partnership with Poetry In America and the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), is pleased to present a conversation with poet Tracy K. Smith, in conversation with Poetry In America Executive Producer and Creator Elisa New, discussing Robert Frost’s “Mending Wall” in honor of his birthday.
Do good fences really make good neighbors? Robert Frost’s “Mending Wall” asks surprising questions about the role of walls in civil society. Poetry In America’s Host Elisa New and former U.S. Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith will delve into this classic poem.
About the Poet: Tracy K. Smith
Tracy K. Smith is a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, memoirist, translator and librettist. She served as Poet Laureate of the United States from 2017-19. Her most recent book is Such Color: New and Selected Poems. She teaches at Harvard University
About the Moderator: Elisa New
Elisa New is the Director and Host of Poetry in America, director of the Center of Public Humanities at Arizona State University, director of Verse Video Education, and Powell M. Cabot Professor of American Literature at Harvard University. New created Poetry in America, a PBS series, to bring poetry into living rooms and onto screens of all kinds. The show can be seen on public television and streaming platforms, in schools and libraries, and on airlines. Guests include Joe Biden, Herbie Hancock, Gloria Estefan, Shaquille O’Neal, Elena Kagan, Nas, John McCain, Sonia Sanchez, Tony Kushner, Bill Clinton, Julia Alvarez, Bono, Cynthia Nixon, John Kerry, LisaGay Hamilton, Caroline Kennedy, Katie Couric, Al Gore, and David Strathairn. Along with the series, New produces educational materials on American poetry for all ages—from middle- and high-school students, to K-12 teachers, to lifelong learners—distributed by Harvard University, Amplify Education, and Arizona State University.
About Poetry In America
Poetry in America, created and directed by Harvard professor Elisa New, is a public television series and multi-platform educational initiative that brings the highest quality humanities content to diverse audiences around the world.
Poetry in America for-credit courses, non-credit learning experiences, and professional development opportunities—including programming designed specifically for high-school students and K-12 teachers—are available in partnership with Arizona State University and Harvard. The Poetry in America series is presented by GBH Boston and distributed by PBS Plus and American Public Television. Season One aired nationally in 2018. Season Two aired in April 2020, and Season Three will premiere in January 2022.
Funder information
Support for the television series Poetry in America is provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities, Dalio Philanthropies, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the Poetry Foundation, Deborah Hayes Stone and Max Stone.
Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.