Tracy K. Smith has always been one of my favorite poets. She is a stunning and lush poet. Her cadence sort of resounds throughout her work. I remember reading her translation of Yi Lei and loving how that translation was more or less an organic intoning that was more or less communicating with Yi Lei to shape the words. What I'm saying is that her works have always been such phenomenal arrangement of language and sound. It was interesting to see how they pieced this collection together. I am always intrigued by collection of new and selected poems--more so because they have to reconnect the pieces to bridge everything together. In a focused poetry collection (or unfocused depending on the mood and what 'focused' even means), there's always a flow to it--usually multifaceted but in some ways pushed to cohesion by "theme" depending again on the writer and perception of reader. But needless to say, it was a great collection full of my favorite poems--the act of new and selected poems feels like truly creating a new form of art in what exist in Smiths enriching and evocative voice. It hones the power and energy that moves through it. I won't lie it did take me a moment to recognize I was reading new and old works woven together. I was reading it like, some of these are familiar, and then it dawned on me that I had read some of the poems in different collections. I had a great time re-familiarizing with the poems and sitting with the newer poems as well.

Such Color contains not only new poems, but a collection from Smith’s previous publications, allowing the reader to travel across the years and through the development of her art. The prosody she uses provides a sort of approachability that draws one in before narrowing to shorter lines, with distilled, inevitable power. 2021’s verses can best be depicted in the refrain, “We live — “

Thank you to Tracy K. Smith, Graywolf Press and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly, I'm speechless in the best way possible. Tracy K Smith has done it again!! I loved their first book and this collection just tops it! This collection is so so so relevant and I think every should read it. This poetry collection is longer than some of the other ones I've read, so it might take longer to read and digest. There is a lot in here and I'm thankful for the verse and being drawn into the emotions, universes, and stories Tracy chooses to tell.

A dazzling collection of poems that feel urgent and relevant, whether from Smith's work in 2003 or written this year. She brings to life migrants, Black Civil War veterans, factory workers poisoned by chemicals, travelers and so much more. Her verse is simple yet elegant, evocative and fresh.

A wonderful collection! It is a gift to watch Smith's poetry evolve over time. I was struck by the themes that remained throughout all of her work: belonging, blackness, history, time, family, etc. Life on Mars remains one of my all time favorite poetry collections, but I was really impressed with the Duende section as well. She was the poet laureate for a reason!

Tracy K. Smith’s collection of old and new poems, Such Colors, is a best hits album to attract old and new readers alike. There is a reason why Smith was the Poet Laureate of the United States from 2017 to 2019; she has a way with words and form that make her readers engage in discussions on faith, history, belonging and race. Her use of language and sound echo through complex topics and impactful external sources which range from landscapes to news articles and song lyrics to African American Civil War soldiers’ letters and seminal historical documents. Tracy K. Smith pulls inspiration from the world around her, and through the lens of her craft, develops poetry that is both beautiful and thought provoking. One caveat for new readers, this is not a collection that should be read in one sitting. Smith pulls a number of poems from her various prior works and, though reading each section at one go makes sense, the total volume is too long and too dense to reasonably digest in one sitting. There are moments that drag, but even for those who don't feel her work speaks to them, the skill must be respected.

As a whole, this collection traces Smith’s stirrings and awakenings as an author into a singular text. Juxtaposing different points in the writer’s career allows the reader to see the breadth of her work and examine how she both grows as a poet and experiments as a writer over the years. Pieces from The Body’s Question are very experiential, looking to specific moments through the lens of specific emotions that emanate from each situation. The predominant sense in this section is of longing in its assorted shades and contexts. The poems from Duende navigate otherness by giving voice to Ugandan wives gifted to rebel commanders, a child killer justifying their crime, and Native American children taken from their homes. Selections from Life On Mars are more esoteric and less engaging for poetry dabblers as Smith expands into space linguistically and topically, then returns to Earth with examination of human atrocities from differing perspectives. Wade in the Water poems show a range of focus from faith and God to the mistreatment of the planet and its people, African American people in particular. There are some truly thought provoking methods and concepts in this part of the collection for readers to contemplate. Riot is where Smith rewards longtime fans with new works and new forms including found poems, palindromes, and epistolary poems. Each of these new works exudes her strengths as a master of concept and craft.


Tracy K. Smith is unafraid to explore varied perspectives in her poetry. In “Theft”, she speaks from the perspective of a Native American child taken away from tribe and family and into foster care with other children, she writes, “Each in his own/Now.I have never/Thought to cross from mine to theirs,/But I’ve held my hand inches/From my brother’s back and felt/His heat”. There is such solitude and longing expressed in these lines that the reader can truly connect with the sentiment of the speaker. Later, Smith channels a Daughter of the Confederacy from 1915 as hissing, “Let the silence of threat embolden our approach” (“Suggestion”). The range of voices at times creates discomfort and always necessitates confrontation with the truth of the poem. The level of specificity within each piece makes the world tactile. In “Serenade”, she describes, “I am spinning/So giddily the bottles of beer and liquor and the bags bereft of their ice/Form one great lake of ecstatic liquid”. Not only can the reader envision the dance within this scene, but also feel its jubilation. Emotional descriptions such as this help to define Tracy K. Smith’s approach to visceral moments and expression as a whole.

Teachable Moments:
If you are looking for a range of works to study a poet’s oeuvre or want students to understand the range that is possible from a singular writer with great technical and linguistic skill, the whole text would be appropriate. Due to the way she navigates historical accounts and notable speeches, selections from this collection could also be used for cross curricular lessons in social studies. For a writing or literature course lacking modern examples, Smith has poems that exemplify classic forms including erasure, villanelle, ghazal as well as those mentioned in the main review. Perspective (speaker), structure, and specificity are all elements for students to analyze or use as a model for their own work.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers; all opinions are my own.