When Tracy K. Smith served as Poet Laureate of the United States, she used her platform to bring people together. In 2018, she traveled the country for a series called American Conversations: Celebrating Poems in Rural Communities. At these events, she encouraged people to share their thoughts, regardless of their background. While Tracy’s two terms as poet laureate ended in 2019, she is still using poetry to build connections. Her new book is Fear Less: Poetry in Perilous Times.

GUEST:

• Tracy K. Smith: Boylston Professor of Rhetoric and Oratory at Harvard. She served as the 22nd Poet Laureate of the United States from 2017 to 2019. Her 2011 collection Life on Mars won the Pulitzer Prize. Her latest book is Fear Less: Poetry in Perilous Times.

You can find both of the poems Tracy reads on this episode, "Everybody's Autobiography" and "Charity," online.

Special thanks to our former interns Vy Duong and Talei Ricketson.

This episode originally aired on November 14, 2025.

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In 2018, the Supreme Court Case Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association reshaped gambling in the U.S. The ruling ended a ban on sports gambling— it had previously been illegal in every state except Nevada. Today, 39 states and Washington, D.C. have at least some form of legalized sports betting. Sports betting became legal in Connecticut in 2021.

This hour, we’re taking a look at how gambling has changed since then. We'll talk about how sports betting companies think about the work that they do and the way people are impacted by gambling addiction. We'll also discuss the the effect gambling is having on college students.

GUESTS:

• Danny Funt: Reporter who’s covered the sports betting boom for publications like The Washington Post and The New Yorker. His new book is Everybody Loses: The Tumultuous Rise of American Sports Gambling.

• Brian Hatch: Community Engagement Manager for the Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling. He’s also the host of All in: The Addicted Gambler’s Podcast.

If you or someone you know is being adversely affected by gambling, there is help available. You can reach out to the Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling’s helpline at 888-789-7777. You can go to their website at ccpg.org. You can also reach the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-MY RESET (1-800-697-3738).

Here are some of the other resources mentioned in the episode:

• To find treatment programs in Connecticut, you can contact a Bettor Choice Program.

• You can find a local or virtual Gamblers Anonymous meeting through their website

• You can also listen to Brian's podcast, All in: The Addicted Gambler’s Podcast

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Housing policy impacts everyone, so this hour, we are taking some time to break down what is happening with housing policy in Connecticut's current legislative session. CT Public's own Abigail Brone joins us to talk about some of her recent reporting.

Plus, in the 1970s, a wave of arson swept U.S. cities. The arson has long been attributed to the Black and brown residents of apartment buildings, but Bench Ansfield argues that the fires were most often set by the landlords who owned the buildings. That's part of the book Born in Flames: The Business of Arson and the Remaking of the American City.

GUESTS:

• Abigail Brone: Housing Reporter for Connecticut Public

• Bench Ansfield: Assistant Professor of History at Temple University and author of Born in Flames: The Business of Arson and the Remaking of the American City.

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