The myth and reality of Jim Thorpe
David Maraniss’s biography of the legendary athlete highlights the contradiction in White America’s attitude toward Native people.
The voices of American poets
Edward Hirsch’s labor of love celebrates centuries of American verse, from Anne Bradstreet to Joy Harjo.
Joy Harjo gives words to the poet warriors who were her ancestors
The Indigenous writer’s new memoir understands memory as counsel and ritual as the potency of love.
The mirror world under the sea
Millions of unknown species in our oceans inhabit a universe of storytelling and dreaming.
Why do we write and read poetry?
For both Paul Mariani and Mark Jarman, the mystery is theological.
The woman who haunts the book of Job
In Diane Glancy’s poetry and prose, the cries of Native Americans echo the laments of Job’s wife.
The relational religion of Martin Buber
Behind the man’s life’s work is a broken-hearted child.
How Muhammad Ali influenced public debate
Jonathan Eig's biography shows how the boxer took on opponents in multiple arenas.
The isolation of Wallace Stevens
A new biography reveals the poet’s devotion to his vocation. It also reveals his loneliness.
First petitions
That there will be one or two waitingwith hands to hold you through floodsof crowds and reaching for you in riversof sports fans rushing past your head;...
Pity the Beautiful, by Dana Gioia
Poet and critic Dana Gioia, former chair of the National Endowment for the Arts, signals his ambitious artistic tendencies and his firm spiritual commitments from the first poem of this new collect...
Literary Genius: 25 Classic Writers Who Define English and American Literature
In his introduction, Joseph Epstein offers a broad definition of literary genius: “Timelessness, gr...
Promised Land: Thirteen Books That Changed America
Few books have had sufficiently potent content to carry them into the hands of readers and imaginations of writers for generati...