
Bruce Smith Reads Mary Ruefle
From The New Yorker: Poetry by The New Yorker
September 30, 2025 · 41 min
About this episode
Bruce Smith joins Kevin Young to read poems by Mary Ruefle and himself, discussing themes of ancestry and creativity.
Bruce Smith joins Kevin Young to read “ Open Letter To My Ancestors , ” by Mary Ruefle, and his own poem “ The Game .” Smith, the author of eight poetry collections, including the forthcoming “ Hungry Ghost ,” has received awards from the Academy of American Poets and the American Academy of Arts and Letters, in addition to fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. He teaches at Syracuse University. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
People in this episode
Host: Kevin Young
Guest: Bruce Smith
Topics covered
- poetry
- literature
- creative writing
- artistic expression
- ancestors
- poetic forms
Keywords
- Bruce Smith
- Mary Ruefle
- poetry
- Syracuse University
- creative writing
- Hungry Ghost
- Open Letter To My Ancestors
- The Game
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Syracuse University
Books & works: Open Letter To My Ancestors, The Game, Hungry Ghost
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