Against Breaking: On the Power of Poetry

Limón, the 24th poet laureate of the U.S., urges the public to view poetry as a reminder of their shared humanity in this captivating lecture, which she delivered at the Library of Congress at the end of her tenure in April 2025. In a society increasingly plagued by loneliness and polarization, Limón declares that “if we are lucky enough to live a life in a world of poetry, we are never alone... because anyone who has ever written is with us.” Poetry can be a lifeline during times of suffering, she says, telling the stories of people she met while in her post, including a man who memorized poems to keep his mind from entering “the dark places” after his son died in war. While poetry has immense personal value, it’s especially powerful in the public realm, she asserts, describing You Are Here, a project she spearheaded that put poems in National Parks to encourage people to pay attention to the world around them. Highlighting excerpts from her favorite poems, including Emily Dickinsons’s “If I Can Stop One Heart from Breaking” and Alberto Riós’s “A House Called Tomorrow,” Limón provides a wealth of starting points for the novice poetry reader while encouraging exploration. Passionate and hopeful, this will inspire readers to embrace poetry’s magic. (Apr.)