Levine, one of the most highly regarded of all living American poets, is best known for poems about working life in America. Levine?s many collections include "Breath" (2004), "The Mercy" (1999), "The Simple Truth" (1994, winner of the Pulitzer Prize), "What Work Is" (1991, winner of the National Book Award) and "New Selected Poems" (1991). Edward Hirsch wrote in the New York Times, "In a reactionary and forgetful time, these radiantly human and memorializing poems can help us understand our lives."

Recorded March 9, 2006.