This anthology of contemporary American poetry, short fiction, and nonfiction, explores issues of identity, oppression, injustice, and social change. Living American writers produced each piece between 1980 and the present; works were selected based on literary merit and the manner in which they address one or more pressing social issues. William Reichard has assembled some of the most respected literary artists of our time, asking whose voices are ascendant, whose silenced, and why. The work as a whole reveals shifting perspectives and the changing role of writing in the social justice arena over the last few decades.
William Reichard is the author of four collections of poetry: Sin Eater (2010); This Brightness: Poems (2007); How To: Poems (2004), which was a finalist for the James Laughlin Award from the Academy of American Poets; and An Alchemy in the Bones: Poems (1999), which won a Minnesota Voices Prize. Ted Kooser is one of the the most highly regarded poets in the US and served as the United States Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004 to 2006. Sherman Alexie Spokane/Coeur d'Alene Indian, Sherman J. Alexie, Jr. grew up on the Spokane Indian Reservation in Wellpinit, WA. Elizabeth Alexander is a professor in the English and African American Studies Departments at Yale University. Linda Hogan (Chickasaw), writer in residence for The Chickasaw Nation, is an internationally recognized public speaker and writer of poetry, fiction, and essays.
"As a playlist captures the complex and sometimes competing forces within a relationship, revealing much about the essential interplay between composer and audience, so too does American Tensions provide a timely snapshot of our nation's post-identity literary landscape and the real uses and purposes we make out of writing and reading." -- Sam Woodworth, Fogged Clarity: An Arts Review "The writers featured in American Tensions are both established and emerging, some with many publications, some with only a few, but what binds them together is that they are embodiments of the legacy of that melting pot sales pitch. Their stories reflect that American identity may owe a great deal to the constant reminder that it is not an assimilated, uniform everyperson, but a 'messy, fractious web of cultures, myths, relationships, and races." -- LJ Moore, SF Books Examiner "This is a powerful collection of down-to-earth yet vivid snapshots of American life in places and situations that the myth of the American dream makes us want to ignore. By turn, it is startling, gritty, and haunting. The poems, short stories and excerpts of novels are unsettling-ideal for provoking conversation about the issues of injustice facing our society at this moment in history." -- Dr. Cris Toffolo, Chair, Justice Studies, Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago "When my friend, the writer and activist Alice Lovelace, shares her wisdom with people contemplating social change work she begins with an admonition: 'Don't even begin to consider this journey unless you are prepared to be changed yourself.' This volume should carry the same warning." -- William Cleveland, author, Art and Upheaval: Artists on the World's Frontlines and Between Grace and Fear: The Role of Arts in a Time of Change "The best anthologies, like the one you've got in your hands right now, are full of wise, deeply felt writing that one reads with an intimation of eternity, as if one were looking up into the stars... Here in your hand is a generous portion of the best contemporary writing about contemporary issues, about our issues, compiled and present to us with generosity and enthusiasm... This book is a gift made to last." -- Ted Kooser, United States Poet Laureate 2004-2006 [from the Foreword]
