Clint Smith began writing the poems in his new collection, Above Ground, when his wife was pregnant with their first child. The poems reflect the joy and fear that accompanies fatherhood. Some are fun and full of wonder, like “Ode to a double stroller” or “What sound a giraffe makes.” Others wrestle with the world children inherit, our racist past and the violence in everyday life.

This is Smith’s second poetry collection and follows his widely acclaimed book, How the Word Is Passed, which looked at how the legacy of slavery is enmeshed in our history and landscape. Clint Smith joins us to read his poems and talk about Black fatherhood and America’s history.