Her mother's murder made her a poet: Pulitzer Prize winner Natasha Trethewey's career is tinged with tragedy
Natasha Trethewey should be celebrating; her new book, "Monument: Poems New and Selected," was longlisted for a prestigious National Book Award. But during an interview at an Evanston restaurant with sparkling glassware and floor-to-ceiling windows, Trethewey repeatedly wiped away tears.
Her new book tackles many topics, but the main focus is the murder of Trethewey's mother when the poet was 19, a loss that haunts Trethewey to this day.
"I think of myself as someone who has lived in a state of bereavement my whole adult life," Trethewey said. "And
