On Being with Krista Tippett
Joy Harjo and Tracy K. Smith – "This World Is Full of Everything Good, Everything Beautiful."
On Being with Krista Tippett
•February 26, 2026•0 min
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On Being with Krista Tippett•Feb 26, 2026
Why It Matters
The conversation highlights poetry’s expanding role in mental‑health, corporate culture, and media, signaling new commercial opportunities for literary content. It demonstrates how cultural capital can be leveraged for brand differentiation and audience engagement.
Key Takeaways
- •Former Poet Laureates discuss poetry as technology
- •New books: Fear Less and Girl Warrior released
- •Event at Symphony Space, NYC, fostered communal dialogue
- •Harjo also saxophonist, painter; Smith Harvard professor
- •Conversation underscores poetry’s role in resilience
Pulse Analysis
The recent conversation between Joy Harjo and Tracy K. Smith at Symphony Space in Manhattan illustrates how poetry is being reframed as a functional technology. Both former U.S. Poet Laureates described verse as a tool for navigating grief, mystery, and personal growth, inviting listeners to breathe consciously while engaging with language. By positioning poetry alongside concepts of resilience and mindfulness, the dialogue bridges artistic practice with contemporary self‑care trends, offering a fresh narrative that resonates beyond literary circles.
The event also served as a launchpad for the authors’ latest works—Harjo’s essay collection *Girl Warrior* and Smith’s memoir *Fear Less*. Both titles tap into a market hungry for authentic, socially aware storytelling, reinforcing the commercial viability of poetry‑adjacent nonfiction. Their dual presence on platforms such as the *On Being* podcast amplifies cross‑media exposure, driving sales and expanding readership among educated demographics. Publishers are noting this momentum, investing in multi‑format releases that combine print, audio, and live‑event components to maximize audience engagement.
For businesses, the conversation underscores the strategic value of integrating artistic insight into corporate culture. Leaders are increasingly turning to poetry and narrative techniques to foster empathy, improve mental‑health initiatives, and spark creative problem‑solving. The visibility of Harjo and Smith demonstrates how cultural capital can be leveraged for brand differentiation, especially in sectors seeking authentic storytelling. As companies adopt similar interdisciplinary approaches, the ripple effect may boost demand for literary content, educational partnerships, and wellness programming that draw on the same poetic principles highlighted in the New York event.
Episode Description
From Krista:
These days I sometimes have to remind myself to keep breathing. I think this is true of human beings across all of our differences and divides. But in a room in New York City just before the turn of this year, I was regrounded by this fierce and joyous conversation with Joy Harjo and Tracy K. Smith.
I invite you to settle into your soft breathing body with these two wise women as companions and with a sense of poetry as a technology, as Tracy describes in her new book: a technology for rising to our truest, highest selves, even amidst grief and mystery and danger, and bearing witness to each other as we do so.
I think all of us in the room left a little more lighthearted and alive as this conversation unfolded. I hope that will be your experience too.
Tracy K. Smith and Joy Harjo are former U.S. poet laureates, beloved On Being guests, and friends. They are each wildly and deservedly awarded and not just as poets — Tracy also as a teacher and professor at Harvard, Joy as a saxophonist and painter. We were brought together at Symphony Space in Manhattan to celebrate their newest books: Fear Less by Tracy and Girl Warrior by Joy.
Find an excellent transcript of this show, edited by humans, on our show page.
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Joy Harjo was the 23rd Poet Laureate of the United States. Among many honors, she has received the Poetry Society of America's Frost Medal and a National Humanities Medal. She is the inaugural Artist-in-Residence for the Bob Dylan Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She lives on the Muscogee Nation Reservation in Oklahoma. Her new book of essays is Girl Warrior. Forthcoming in 2026 is her 12th book of poetry and a new album co-produced with esperanza spalding.
Tracy K. Smith was the 22nd Poet Laureate of the United States. She teaches at Harvard University, where she is Boylston Professor of Rhetoric and Oratory, Professor of African and African American Studies, and Susan S. and Kenneth L. Wallach Professor at the Harvard Radcliffe Institute. Among her many honors, she has been awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry and is a Chancellor of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Her new memoir is Fear Less.
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