“Banneker” by Rita Dove (1983)

Rita Dove was the first African American woman named US poet laureate in 1993. Smith cites Dove as one of her chief poetic influences. Dove’s historical poem is about the eccentric life of Benjamin Banneker. Banneker was an African American ​​almanac author, surveyor, farmer, and landowner. He helped survey the District of Columbia and accurately predicted solar eclipses, among other scientific achievements. Dove’s poem portrays him as a mythic figure in American history on par with figures like Jefferson and Franklin.

“Landscape” by Robin Coste Lewis (2015)

Lewis is an essential figure in contemporary Black poetry. Her 2015 debut collection, The Voyage of the Sable Venus, uses ekphrastic poetry (poems about painting and artwork) to explore the influence of colonialism on how art portrays Black people. The volume also considers how people of color can reclaim their place in art history by subverting their role as the other and placing themselves at the center of an artwork. “Landscape” is a poem that explores the role of sexuality, history, and current events on the poet’s body.

“In This Place (An American Lyric)” by Amanda Gorman

Amanda Gorman was the first National Youth Poet Laureate in the United States.