Acclaimed poet Danez Smith reflects on the power of poetry as a space for empathy, transformation, and collective experience. Reading from the poem “Colorado Springs,” Smith explores themes of family, queerness, vulnerability, and the fears that shape parental love.
Throughout the interview, Smith describes poems as “gathering spaces across time,” places where readers meet not only the poet but also generations of readers who have encountered the same work. Drawing on experiences of church, community, and Black cultural traditions, Smith argues that poetry is strongest when it holds opposing emotions together.
The conversation examines the tensions that have shaped Smith’s recent work, including hope and hopelessness, realism and idealism, and the relationship between past and future. Reflecting on contemporary politics and social upheaval, Smith discusses the challenge of sustaining hope without denying reality: “I needed to hold despair’s hand so I could have an honest talk with hope.”
Smith also speaks about teaching poetry, the influence of spoken-word and Poetry Slam traditions, and the importance of helping writers discover their own distinctive voices. Rejecting the idea that poetry is merely entertainment, Smith argues for its social and personal significance. “Poems have saved my life,” Smith says, recalling the impact of poets including D.A. Powell, Essex Hemphill, June Jordan, Sonia Sanchez, and Audre Lorde.
Discussing poetry’s capacity to inspire change, Smith rejects the notion that poems are powerless. “The best poems redirect you,” Smith says. “You come out of them a different person.” For Smith, poetry can serve as a catalyst for transformation, helping readers imagine new possibilities for themselves and the world around them.
The interview concludes with a reading of “Craft,” a poem that confronts violence, grief, political despair, and the sustaining force of love. In the poem’s closing lines, Smith turns from visions of catastrophe toward intimacy and commitment: “Amen, how much I love. Ashe, how long I fight.”
Danez Smith (born 1989 in St. Paul, Minnesota) is an American poet, performer, and educator. Smith is the author of several acclaimed poetry collections, including Bluff (2024), Homie (2020), and Don’t Call Us Dead (2017). Their work has received numerous honors, including the Forward Prize for Best Collection, the Minnesota Book Award, and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation. Smith is widely recognized as one of the leading voices in contemporary American poetry, known for writing on race, queerness, love, illness, and social justice.
Danez Smith was interviewed by Caspar Eric in connection with the Louisiana Literature festival in August 2024
Camera: Simon Weyhe
Edit: Signe Boe Pedersen
Produced by Christian Lund
Copyright: Louisiana Channel, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, 2026
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