Literary merit in an election season

Phoebe Connelly

The role of poetry in campaigns? The Guardian takes it up. "Kerry has embraced a legitimate American hero, one who speaks out for those who feel excluded. For all his scepticism about America's failures, Langston Hughes, with his emphasis on inclusion, is closer to the American Dream than President Bush has ever been."

Phoebe Connelly, a former managing editor at In These Times, is Web Editor at The American Prospect.
The text is from the poem “QUADRENNIAL” by Golden, reprinted with permission. It was first published in the Poetry Project. Inside front cover photo by Golden.
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