Two Poems from Metaphysical Dog
In a labyrinth of blankets in the garage // at seven / with a neighbor boy // you learned abasement // learned amazed that what must be / obliterated… More
Two Poems by Frances Richard
there is no end / there is no end / one version of this only creates happiness / earth-movers across the street / festooned with colored ribbon while demolishing… More
Spotlight on the 2013 PEN Literary Award Winners
The winners of the 2013 PEN Literary Awards were announced last month, bringing greater recognition to a wide range of worthy books and authors. Since the announcement, we've encountered… More
Three Poems by Mary Hickman
In the photos, he’s sixteen. His horse stands with loose reins by an alpine lake. The water looks less like water than sky, and even in the heat of… More
The PEN Ten with Julia Fierro
John F. Kennedy said, "Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names." I’d revise that message: "Forgive your enemy, but never forget their story." More
One Way of Doing Battle
When I touched my wrist to my chest / it was shorthand for love. // When I returned & the house was empty // I carried his body with… More
Self Timer
You can tell when a photograph was taken by a missing person. At once the room is draftier, an open warning. Since they’re not here, those in the photograph… More
Seven Poems by Valerie Hsiung
(I am withholding something / frightening, holy, foolhardy, strange, / loving, excruciating, vital, unknown, / rejuvenating, transient, natural, old) // like a free will / like nowhere to go More
Six Poems by Lily Mazzarella
All summer, the road was littered / with songbirds, their heads smashed in / I was poisoned by absinthe, and set a field / on fire, and spent the… More
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