Jenny Xie on her selection: Rich’s words are ones I’ve revisited, during this time of intersecting and unfurling crises, to help me think through the efficacy of the arts—particularly poetry—to respond to the clamor, the turmoil, and the extraordinary pressures of this moment. What civic responsibility do artists and writers bear? And what does it mean to write and read poetry that attempts to make sense of what’s at stake in our time? The moral clarity of Rich’s rhetoric is bracing. Her words offer a resolute commitment and a summons, along with a necessary reminder of what revolutionary power lies in hearing differently, speaking differently, imagining differently—in that hard labor of committed attention. Poetry and Commitment: An Essay, by Adrienne Rich  Music: "Shift of Currents" by Blue Dot Sessions // CC BY-NC 2.0