Ploughshares (Spring 2004) Vol. 30, No. 1 (Volume 30)

The Spring 2004 issue of Ploughshares, guest-edited by Campbell McGrath. Ploughshares, a journal of new writing, is guest-edited serially by prominent writers who explore different personal visions, aesthetics, and literary circles. Edited by award-winning poet Campbell McGrath (Seven Notebooks, In the Kingdom of the Sea Monkeys), this issue features new works from 2009 Inaugural Poet Elizabeth Alexander, Rick Moody (The Ice Storm), Robert Boswell (Century's Son, American Owned Love) Bob Hicok (Elegy Owned), and National Book Award Finalist Kevin Young (Ardency). McGrath asserts that his issue of Ploughshares is "in touch with the evolving edge of America's cultural consciousness in a remarkable way," and "preserves a vision of literature as an ingenious human invention among whose many functions fostering delight remains not only viable but essential." Full Table of Contents INTRODUCTION Campbell McGrath FICTION "City Bus," by Robert Boswell "The Grotto," by Robert Olen Butler "The Ashtray," by Rachel Carpenter "Hangzhou 1925," by Lan Samantha Chang "Swing," by Stuart Dybek "The Free Library," by Rick Moody "Boyfriends," by Cynthia Weiner POETRY Elizabeth Alexander Dick Allen Sally Ball Richard Blanco Ron Block Catherine Bowman Nick Carbó Scott Coffel Michael Collier Cynie Cory Jim Daniels Denise Duhamel Eric Elshtain Beth Ann Fennelly Daisy Fried John Gallaher Robert Gibb Barbara Hamby Kerry Hardie James Harms Lola Haskins Bob Hicok Tony Hoagland Tung-Hui Hu Susan Hutton Jonathan Johnson Peter Johnson David Keplinger David Kirby Bill Knott Sarah Magnuso Duibusui D. Martinez Rita Maria Martinez Jean Monahan Ander Monson William Olsen Barbara J. Orton Alan Michael Parker Ricardo Pau-Llosa Kevin Prufer Maureen Seaton Jay Snodgrass Eleanor Stanford Virgil Suarez Jennifer Tseng Chase Twitchell Karen Volkman Charles Harper Webb Kevin Young EDITOR PROFILE by Joel Brouwer