In her latest book, former U.S. Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith argues that poetry is rooted in fundamentally human qualities innate to our capacities to love, dream, question and engage across diverse cultures and backgrounds. By reimaging and reexamining the age-old art form, Fear Less is a warm invitation to find meaning, consolation and hope through poetry. A Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, memoirist, editor and translator, Smith is the author of eight books and served as the U.S. Poet Laureate from 2017-19, during which time she spearheaded American Conversations: Celebrating Poetry in Rural Communities with the Library of Congress and created The Slowdown podcast.

KXCI is partnering once again with the University of Arizona College of Humanities to celebrate the Tucson Humanities Festival. Each Friday in October, professors from the College of Humanities will join The Home Stretch at 5 pm. Listen to this year’s guest DJ sessions on demand for two weeks via our streaming archive.