An Evening with Pulitzer Prize-Winning Poet Tracy K. Smith at Segerstrom Center

Segerstrom Center for the Arts welcomes Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Tracy K. Smith for an evening of compelling conversation with acclaimed poet and educator Tina Chang. As part of the Center’s In Conversation series spotlighting contemporary American authors and poets, this event promises an insightful and thought-provoking discussion on Monday, March 3, at 8 p.m.

Tracy K. Smith has been a force in the literary world since her debut in 2003. Her poetry collection Life on Mars won the Pulitzer Prize, and her memoir Ordinary Light was a finalist for the National Book Award for Nonfiction. Across genres, her writing is powerful, intelligent, and lyrical—delving into the big questions about our world with unflinching honesty. Her work masterfully explores love, grief, desire, and hope while weaving in themes of race, power, and justice. Often described as America’s “poetic caretaker,” Smith invites readers to reflect on the stories they’ve been told and the history that shapes us.

Beyond her writing, Smith is a dedicated educator and advocate. She served two terms as U.S. Poet Laureate, bringing poetry to communities across the country, and she currently teaches English and African and African American studies at Harvard.

Tina Chang, who will moderate the conversation, is a celebrated poet and editor. She made history as the first woman to be named Poet Laureate of Brooklyn, a role she held for more than a decade. A graduate of Columbia University’s MFA program, she is the author of three critically acclaimed poetry collections and is a professor of English and Director of Creative Writing at Binghamton University.

Tickets for Tracy K. Smith IN CONVERSATION start at $44.07 and are available now at scfta.org. They can also be purchased in person at 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 92626, or by phone at (714) 556-2787. For group ticket discounts (10 or more), call (714) 755-0236.