In her latest work, To Free the Captives: A Plea for the American Soul, Tracy K. Smith, the 22nd Poet Laureate of the United States, looks back on four hundred years of American history and asks how Americans might come together to view our shared past. Join Smith, Parneshia Jones, and Chicago Humanities for a stunning meditation on family, memory, history and a vision of where we might go in the future.

Listen to a portion of this program here.

A book signing will follow this program.

• This program is part of the Social Justice and Equity Series supported by Allstate and ITW.
• We are pleased to partner with the Seminary Co-op Bookstores, a not-for-profit bookstore whose mission is bookselling. General public tickets include a copy of To Free the Captives: A Plea for the American Soul which you will pick up at the event by showing the book voucher in your receipt. Students, Teachers, and Charter Humanist member tickets do not include a book, but anyone can add a book to their cart when selecting their tickets.
• Please visit our FAQ for more information about ticketing, books, accessibility options, and other event logistics.