Hosted by Greenlight Bookstore, guest editor Tracy K. Smith and series editor David Lehman will be sharing poems from this year’s anthology, along with a group of contributors.

Official description:

Tracy K. Smith and David Lehman present The Best American Poetry 2021

Featuring contributors Chen Chen, Rachel Eliza Griffiths, Nancy Miller Gomez, and Dora Malech!

Greenlight is thrilled to welcome Pulitzer Prize winner and former U.S. Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith and series editor David Lehman to celebrate and commemorate the 2021 edition of The Best American Poetry. These poems explore and reckon with the difficult emotions exposed by a year of collective upheaval—from Covid-19 and the inequities it has exposed, to racialized police brutality and the terrorism of January 6th—and incalculable loss. From Terrance Hayes’s stirring tribute to George Floyd, to Louise Erdrich’s tender exploration of longing and isolation, to Rita Dove’s poignant examination of police violence as felt by young people, the work in this collection gives voice to the trauma, urgency, and bewilderment we’ve felt as a nation during this time. Smith and Lehman are joined by contributors to this year’s anthology for a reading and discussion of the making of an exceptional, essential collection.

Register here for Zoom link.