Langston Hughes a celebrated American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright and columnist.  In 1923, Hughes traveled abroad on a freighter to the Senegal, Nigeria, the Cameroons, Belgium Congo, Angola, and Guinea in Africa, and later to Italy and France, Russia and Spain. One of his favorite pastimes whether abroad or in Washington, D.C. or Harlem, New York was sitting in the clubs listening to blues, jazz and writing poetry. The poems in this collection were chosen by Hughes himself shortly before his death in 1967 and represent work from his entire career, including “The negro speaks of Rivers,” “The Weary Blues,” and many more. Enjoy!

Passionate Minds is a series exploring the biographies and literary achievements of 12 modern women. The book is divided in to three sections. The first sections deals with sexual freedom in essays on Olive Schreiner, Gertrude Stein, Anais Nin, and famed Hollywood actress Mae West.  The second section examines race in the American south by writers such as Margaret Mitchell, Zora Neale Hurston, and Eudora Welty. The third focuses on politics and the interpretation of Nazis germany and soviet communism including the Russian poet Marina Tsvetaeva, Ayn Rand, Doris Lesssin and a dual essay by Hannah Arendt and Mary Mcarthy.

Unsettling America is a collection of powerful, diverse poetry that is compelling in its mission—to challenge the idea of a static American cultural mythos. Its five sections each have a message of their own, though they all intersect with each other. Joy Harjo uses the backdrop of Anchorage to paint a picture of loss and survival and gives us a look at the harsh realities of life as a Native American in “Anchorage.” in “Praise the Tortilla, Praise the Menudo, Praise the Chorizo,” Ray Gonzalez reminisces the food of his boyhood. In the last poem of this anthology,”Growing Up Italian,” Maria Mazziotti Gillan realizes that she is proud to be an Italian. The poems in this anthology can be full of quiet longing and loss, and they can be angry and loud. However, the collection’s ending suggests a powerful uprising; it is full of hope that these voices will be heard and that all will be welcome at the negotiating table.