Our cover story is an interview with Yusef Komunyakaa, whose ninth collection of poems, Talking Dirty to the Gods, marks a return to the poet's formal origins.
November/December 2000
Features
Yusef Komunyakaa: Blue Note in a Lyrical Landscape
A profile of poet Yusef Komunyakaa.
Madison Smartt Bell: Seeing in Black and White
A profile of Madison Smartt Bell.
Reflections on Responsibility
The Divine Ventriloquist
The essence of poetry and how to reconcile it with the marketplace.
Electric Poetics
Poetry as memorable language with an electric charge.
Warning, Witness, Presence
A poet's responsibility is to advance not just the art, but the conditions in which the art occurs.
Private Freedom, Public Life
On poet Ken Saro-Wiwa.
News and Trends
Translator Unveils Vietnamese Poet
John Balaban translates celebrated Vietnamese poet Hồ Xuân Hu'o'ng.
HarperCollins Teams with NPS
HarperCollins signs on as a new publisher for the National Poetry Series.
Poets Nominate Century's Best
The Best American Poetry series guest editors weigh in on the finest poets of the twentieth century.
Class Action Suits Help Protect Writers' Rights
Freelance writers score some noteworthy victories in the copyright arena.
The Practical Writer
Creative Composting: Zen and the Art of Rejection
A novelist discusses how she deals with rejection.
Beyond the Page: John Tranter Tailors Jacket for the Web
John Tranter and his poetry e-zine, Jacket.
The Intentional Reader: A Writer's Annual Reading Plan
Ideas for creating a roster of books to read during the year.
The Literary Life
The Most Hated Man in American Poetry: Why Writers Loathe William Logan
A profile of critic William Logan.
Metromania: Poetry, Academy, Anarchy
Poetry's visibility in America.