American tensions : literature of identity and the search for social justice : stories, poems, and essays addressing the most pressing issues of our time

This anthology of contemporary American poetry, short fiction, and nonfiction, explores issues of identity, oppression, injustice, and social change. Living American writers produced each piece between 1980 and the present; works were selected based on literary merit and the manner in which they address one or more pressing social issues. William Reichard has assembled some of the most respected literary artists of our time, asking whose voices are ascendant, whose silenced, and why. The work as a whole reveals shifting perspectives and the changing role of writing in the social justice arena over the last few decades.

This anthology of contemporary American poetry, short fiction,and nonfiction, explores issues of identity, oppression, injustice,and social change. Living American writers produced each piecebetween 1980 and the present; works were selected based on literarymerit and the manner in which they address one or more pressingsocial issues. William Reichard has assembled some of the mostrespected literary artists of our time, asking whose voices areascendant, whose silenced, and why. The work as a whole revealsshifting perspectives and the changing role of writing in thesocial justice arena over the last few decades.