In these thoughtful, richly personal essays, Marianne Boruch takes a fresh view on old poets, considering such questions as how the atomic bomb changed William Carlos Williams's poetry and how Edison’s listening, through his famous deafness, informs our sense of poetics.

Other essays explore how the car's danger and solitude helps us understand American poetry, and how Dvorak and Whitman shared darker things than their curious love for trains. Boruch's personal memories and philosophical speculations create a distinct voice to match the collection's distinct opinions and ideas.