U.S. Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey visits with UTC Honors College students in the Guerry Center Reading Room. Photo by Clara Paulson.
On Friday, Feb. 6, two-term U.S. Poet Laureate and Pulitzer Prize winner Natasha Trethewey met with University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Honors College students for a two-hour talk. The conversation examined history, her upbringing, personal loss, and the craft of writing poetry, centered on “Native Guard,” a collection of poems she wrote in the early 2000s and published in 2006. The students got to hear directly from Trethewey and ask her questions about being an author.
Trethewey explained how repetition became central to “Native Guard.” She noted that when she began the writing process, she did not intend to rely on so many recurring forms and motifs, but that she later realized the importance of repetition in emphasizing histories that have been forgotten.
“It was important not just to say it, but to say it again,” Trethewey said.
Several UTC Honors College students shared their reflections on the experience and what they learned from interacting with the poet.
Jack Walther, a first-year environmental science major from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, mentioned that he became aware of Trethewey’s work in class.
“We had to read ‘Native Guard,’” he said. “It’s a lot of great poetry with a lot of important topics in it.”
He explained that events like listening to the poet help make the humanities more engaging for students.
“It’s important for authors like Natasha to come here so students can learn about the humanities and works of literature,” he said.
Freshman integrated studies major Abbie Banegas ask a question during the Q&A with Natasha Trethewey.
History major Allison Cable, a freshman from McEwen, Tennessee, said she came to the event hoping to get a better understanding of the connection between poetry and history. She explained that she is not very familiar with poetry but is excited to learn.
“There’s a lot going on with anti-intellectualism,” Cable said. “People like her can really help us connect to poetry again and seek out knowledge. That’s why we come to college.”
Sydney Etheridge, a freshman interior architecture major from Chattanooga, explained that hearing directly from Trethewey helped her further understand “Native Guard.”
“Knowing the stories behind it and how she came to the conclusions that she came to made a huge difference. It clarified her intentions and the history behind her work.” Etheridge said.
Etheridge added that the conversation with Trethewey encouraged her to think differently about where information comes from and to seek out original sources.
Abbie Banegas, a freshman integrated studies major from Memphis, mentioned how eloquent Trethewey is as a speaker and the way the conversation was set up.
“You’re not being talked at,” Banegas said. “You’re talking with her.”
Banegas appreciated how Trethewey described memory as something more than just remembering the past but also a tool for understanding the future.
Freshman English major Riley Willits, also from Memphis, said being able to hear directly from Trethewey made her work feel more approachable.
“When you read something, you’re separated from the author,” Willits said. “But actually meeting her, it’s like realizing she’s a person just like me who has the capacity to take her emotions and make something really beautiful out of them.”
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Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and former U.S. Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey to speak at UTC
O’Dea Lecture in the Humanities
Photo gallery by Clara Paulson
Retired UC Foundation Professor of English Gregory O’Dea, Natasha Trethewey and Honors College Dean Linda Frost. Trethewey delivered a public lecture on Feb. 5, 2026, as part of the O’Dea Lecture in the Humanities series.
U.S. Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey spoke to a packed University Center Tennessee Room audience during a public lecture on Thursday, Feb. 5.
