'What we need right now is tenderness,' former poet laureate Ada Limón says

By Tonya Mosley

Published October 6, 2025 at 8:58 AM PDT

Limón's work documents everything from kingfisher birds to the cosmos itself. "I'm embracing my strangeness," she says of her poetry. Her new collection is Startlement.

Tags

Culture

Tonya Mosley

Tonya Mosley is a correspondent and former host of Here & Now, the midday radio show co-produced by NPR and WBUR. She's also the host of the award-winning podcast Truth Be Told and a regular contributing interviewer for Fresh Air with Terry Gross.

Related Content

Cover of Desert Companion magazine featuring a Black female healthcare worker with natural curly hair wearing a white medical coat, stethoscope, and blue surgical mask. She has her arms crossed and is looking directly at the camera.

The Health Issue

How is Las Vegas' healthcare system really doing, and what does it mean for you and your family? Desert Companion's Health Issue takes a deep dive into these questions and explores how heart-centered business leaders prove that doing good benefits the bottom line.