Selected contemporary fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction confront the
myth of a classless democracy, redefine the family, deconstruct American
notions of race and patriotism, and uncover conflicting tugs of nature, place,
and culture in the American psyche.

This anthology brings fresh writers into the company of literary heavyweights
Sherman Alexie, Yusef Komunyakaa, Adrienne Rich, Marvin Bell, and Dorothy
Allison. Challenging the traditional New Criticism approach to reading, the
collection works to re-situate its writers in their social and historical contexts. In so doing, editor William Reichard shows how these authors participate in and shape history.