Literary Nonfiction. Poetry. Editors Ilya Kaminsky and Katherine Towler have gathered conversations with nineteen of America's leading poets, reflecting upon their diverse experiences with spirituality and the craft of writing. Bringing together poets who are Christian, Buddhist, Jewish, Muslim, Pagan, Native American, Wiccan, agnostic, and otherwise, this book offers frank and thoughtful consideration of themes too often polarized and politicized in our society. Participants include Li-Young Lee, Jane Hirshfield, Carolyn Forché, Gerald Stern, Christian Wiman, Joy Harjo, and Gregory Orr, and others, all wrestling with difficult questions of human existence and the sources of art.

Ilya Kaminsky was born in Odessa, former Soviet Union in 1977. His debut collection was DANCING IN ODESSA (Tupelo Press, 2004). Among his awards are the Whiting Prize, the Metcalf Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and the 2005 Foreword Poetry Book of the Year award. Katherine Towler is the author of a trilogy of novels, Snow Island, Evening Ferry, and Island Light. She consults with schools and non-profits on publications and promotional materials, and teaches in the MFA Program in Writing at Southern New Hampshire University. She lives in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.