November/December 2001

On the occasion of his third poetry collection, Book of My Nights, poet Li-Young Lee discusses writing as a religious act, a way to connect with “a consciousness that sees it all, that is truly awake.”

Features

Toward a Larger, Listening World: An Interview With Ray Gonzalez

by Maria Garcia Tabor
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A profile of poet Ray Gonzalez.

Poems From God: A Conversation With Li-Young Lee

by Amy Pence
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A profile of poet Li-Young Lee.

The Far, Deep Things of Dreamland: An Interview With Elizabeth Alexander

by Natasha Trethewey

Elizabeth Alexander's new collection, Antebellum Dream Book, deals with the image of the body, a theme she visits often in her previous works. "If you let a body speak," she says, "it gives you access to all sorts of concrete sensations that are vital, the stuff of poetry, the way a poem convinces." In this interview with Natasha Trethewey, Alexander speaks to her use of race, urban life, history, and of course, the body.

Belles Lettres Du Monde

Souls That Travel: American Writers in Greece

by Don Schofield
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American writers in Greece, past and present.

Readers Rule Britannia: A Letter From London

by N. S. Thompson
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The literary scene in London.

From the Desert to the Sea: Israeli Writing Today

by Aviya Kushner
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Cultural diversity enriches Israeli literature.

Next Stop, Antarctica: The Kiwi Literary Life

by Cheryl Pearl Sucher
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A native New Yorker surveys the literary life in New Zealand.

In Gogol's Footsteps: St. Petersburg Post-Perestroika

by Jeff Parker
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The scene in Moscow's less "mainstream" literary counterpart.

News and Trends

Audio Publisher Celebrates 50 Years

by Donna Martin
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Celebration for Caedmon Records, the first commercial publisher of spoken word releases.

Online Newsstand Promotes Lit Mags

by Mary Gannon
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The Council of Literary Magazines and Presses and Small Press Distribution launch the Literary Magazine Kiosk, an online newsstand.

The Functions of Conjunctions

by Kevin Larimer
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Literary magazine Conjunctions celebrates its twentieth anniversary issue.

Book Clubs Unite Cities of Readers

by Dalia Sofer
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The rise and influence of citywide book clubs.

The Practical Writer

Novel Research on the Web: Is It a World of Ideas or Distractions?

by Catherine Wald
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Advice from five authors on getting the most from online research.

Literature Without Borders: Something New Under the Sun

by Joan Houlihan
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Profile of Web Del Sol, the "hottest literary spot on the Web."

First: How Priscilla Becker Beat the Odds

by Joanna Smith Rakoff
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A profile of debut poet Priscilla Becker.

The Literary Life

21st-Century Pleasures: The Rewards of Recitation

by John Poch
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The joy of memorizing and reciting poetry.

Tone Deaf: Learning to Listen to the Music in Prose

by Helen Benedict
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The rewards of reading aloud and finding poetry in prose.

Classifieds