Maggie Smith's poem "Good Bones" became a viral sensation when it was published in 2016 the same week as the Pulse Nightclub mass shooting in Orlando. The exposure — rare for a living poet, let alone one who was only just approaching mid-career — sparked waves of media attention and unlocked professional opportunities like speaking and teaching engagements. Smith went from "a stay-at home (or, rather, work-from-home) mom who traveled occasionally" to an in-demand literary star, following her third collection of poems (also titled "Good Bones") with "Keep Moving," a collection of essays and quotes on rebuilding a life and dealing with grief after divorce.
Smith dives deeper into that personal journey in her new memoir, "You Could Make This Place Beautiful" — the title references the last line of "Good Bones" — in which she writes, "my marriage was never the same after that poem."
