T. S. Eliot and the Holy Grail
The Nobel Laureate drew on a centuries-old legend when he put the Fisher King in The Waste Land.
Grand Illusions
By the time L. Frank Baum introduced the world to Dorothy and the gang, he’d already made his name as a shop window dresser par excellence.
Reading Aloud in the Early Republic
Magazines of the freshly founded United States drew legitimacy and stability from the collective voice and sociability of their editors.
All Male Cats Are Named Tom: Or, the Uneasy Symbiosis between T. S. Eliot and Groucho Marx
Class and religious differences, among other factors, thwarted the would-be friendship between two cultural titans, suggesting opposites attract, but may not adhere.
The New York School Poets
From Bernadette Mayer to Joan Mitchell. Tracing the path from the New York School poets to their painter friends.
The Bug in the Computer Bug Story
Soon after a team of engineers discovered a moth in a machine at Harvard, the word "bug" became a standard part of the programmer's lexicon. Or did it?
Ukraine’s National Poet
Perhaps no other bard has captured the sentiments of Ukraine and its emigrants as fully as Taras Shevchenko.
Reconciling with Violence through Poetry
A poem in The Angolite reconciles with the lethal violence of prison through creative expression.
13 Ways of Looking at Edna St. Vincent Millay
Poet, lover, outspoken political activist. Vincent, in all her complicated glory.
Injustice at the Indiana Women’s Prison
Medical neglect, food injustice, and mental health woes serve as the creative inspiration for poetry. Plus, how many days of work does it take to buy a bra?