
Fear Less
Poetry in Perilous Times
Tracy K. Smith(Author)
WW Norton & Co (Publisher)
Will be published approx. on 27. October 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
192 pages
978-1-324-13429-9 (ISBN)
Description
Drawing on deep passion and personal experience, former US Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith demystifies the art form that has too often been mischaracterised as "inaccessible", "irrelevant" or "intimidating". She argues that poetry is rooted in fundamentally human qualities innate to our capacities to love, dream, question and engage across diverse cultures and backgrounds. Lifting the veil on her own creative process, Smith shows us how reading and writing poetry allows us to confront life's many uncertainties and losses, to build camaraderie with strangers and to understand ourselves. She grounds readers in the technical elements of the craft and provides close readings of the works of contemporary poets, alongside classic poems. By reimagining and re-examining the age-old art form, Fear Less is a warm invitation to find meaning, consolation and hope through poetry.
A Norton Short
A Norton Short
Reviews / Votes
"That poems are like people is a point the former U.S. poet laureate Tracy K. Smith nods to repeatedly in her wonderful new book of criticism, Fear Less, which will open your eyes to aspects of poetry you may not have thought of on your own... [a] rewarding little book." -- David Kirby - The New York Times Book ReviewMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Dimensions
Height: 210 mm
Width: 140 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-324-13429-9 (9781324134299)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
11/2025
W. W. Norton & Company
€21.99
Available for download
Person
Tracy K. Smith is the Boylston Professor of Rhetoric and Oratory at Harvard University. She served as the 22nd Poet Laureate of the United States and is the author of five poetry collections, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning Life on Mars.