First published 2010
Elizabeth Alexander opens her poetic world across twenty years of American life and experience. Her verses explore the search for brightness in difficult times, examining how knowledge becomes a form of faith. The collection brings together new poems written specifically for this volume alongside carefully chosen works from her earlier books. Alexander writes about allegiance, learning, and the human need for illumination during periods of struggle. Her voice emerged as nationally significant when President Obama selected her to deliver poetry at his presidential inauguration. The poems move through personal and political landscapes, capturing moments where ordinary experience intersects with larger historical forces. Alexander's language stays grounded in concrete imagery while reaching toward questions of meaning and connection. The collection reveals how a poet's vision develops over time, showing both consistency of concern and growth in craft. These poems offer readers a chance to see America through the eyes of a writer who has witnessed and recorded two decades of change.
Genres: american-fiction, american, poetry, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, lyrical, thought-provoking
Tropes: coming-of-age, personal-growth
Setting: America
Period: 1990-2010
240 pages · Hardcover · Graywolf Press