This month for Poetry 365 we’re featuring Tracy K. Smith’s brilliant new volume Life on Mars. A 2011 NY Times Notable Book, the Princeton professor’s third collection showcases her impressive range as it blends “pop culture, history, elegy, anecdote, and sociopolitical commentary to illustrate the weirdness of contemporary living.” Hypnotic, ironic, and spiritual, Life on Mars is a stunning tour de force that finds Smith pausing to mourn her late father before blasting off to explore her vision of our sci-fi future. So check out this remarkable new collection, sample a poem below, and make sure to stop back next month for Poetry 365.