Terra Dankowski writes: “Author, professor, and librettist Tracy K. Smith is as prolific as she is distinguished. She has won a Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, earned a National Book Award nomination, and served as 2017–2019 US poet laureate. With To Free the Captives: A Plea for the American Soul, Smith offers a stirring and spiritual collection of essays that channel the voices of her ancestors and confront the racial and social unrest of the present. American Libraries spoke to her about communing with loved ones through writing, the tenor of today’s book bans, and making collections more accessible.”