History Lesson

While it can be problematic to associate the artist’s personal life too closely with their work, Natasha Trethewey weaves personal and broader histories with lyric virtuosity. It is often said that a poem stands separate from the poet—hence, the use of the word “speaker.” Nonetheless, Trethewey’s experience is both visible and deeply embedded in her work, braided with a long and learned view of racial histories in the United States from before the Civil War through the present.

Trethewey’s parents went to Ohio to get married, as their union was in violation of the miscegenation laws in Mississippi at the time. They divorced when Trethewey was six. She grew up spending time with her mother in Mississippi and her father in New Orleans. Much of her work explores the experience of growing up mixed-race in the South. As a historian, Trethewey incorporates research of not only her own experience but also that of African American and mixed-race families and individuals throughout US history.

In keeping with the idea of multiplicity, Trethewey writes in a mix of free verse and traditional forms, including the pantoum, villanelle, ghazal, and sonnet.

Marilyn Nelson says of Trethewey’s work that “Trethewey encourages us to reflect, learn, and experience delight.