As I take up the task of reading and rereading these often prophetic poems, much becomes clear to me simply from the visible letters on the page—and yet I sense, too, that I cannot refuse an interpretation of what is inscribed beneath and within those letters in the invisible ink of Rich’s poetic genius. Writing […]
...moreThe American Scholar is reprinting an article published in its Spring 1970 edition, “Comments on Neglected Books of the Past Twenty-Five Years,” in the hope of making “a small impact” on American literary history, just as the original article’s publication did by celebrating the then-neglected Call It Sleep by Henry Roth. If not for the […]
...moreSince May, poet David Lehman has been working on a crowdsourced sonnet over at The American Scholar. Lehman wrote the poem’s first line, and then chose the next 13 from reader suggestions, selecting one a week. And now that the sonnet has been completed, a title must be chosen—hurry up, poets, and submit one by […]
...more