The Academy of American Poets at http://www. poets.org/ maintains a page called "Citation: 1997 James Laughlin Award." Written by late poet William Matthews, this article offers insight into why he and other members of the award committee selected Hoagland's Donkey Gospel to receive the 1997 prize. Matthews quotes sections of a few poems from the book and offers critiques on each.

Some Ether (2000) is the title of poet Nick Flynn's first collection. His work has received considerable attention by critics and fellow poets, including Hoagland.

Noted journalist, demographer, and political analyst G. Scott Thomas examines the massive power shift from the cities to suburbia in The United States of Suburbia: How the Suburbs Took Control of America and What They Plan to Do with It (2000). He argues that the dividing line between the two Americas, which used to be racial...