Former U.S. Poet Laureate Kay Ryan is known for her ability to leave a deep imprint with very few words, artfully weaving subtlety, wit and gravity. The Marin County-based poet, who was awarded a MacArthur Foundation "genius grant" last month, joins us in the studio.

Ryan's most recent collection, "The Best of It: New and Selected Poems," was nominated for the 2010 National Book Critics Circle Award and awarded the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in April, 2011.

Watch a profile of Kay Ryan, from the MacArthur Foundation: