Arts of the Possible: Essays and Conversations was published by W.W. Norton in 2001. It collects Rich’s most important prose pieces from the 1970s through 2000 — essays on the relationship between poetry and politics, the obligations of the artist in a democracy, the intersection of feminism with economic justice and anti-imperialism, and the specific conditions of writing in America at the turn of the millennium.
Key essays include “When We Dead Awaken: Writing as Re-Vision” (1971) — her foundational statement on feminist literary criticism, arguing that women must re-read the Western literary tradition not to learn its lessons but to understand how it has limited their self-knowledge; “Blood, Bread, and Poetry” (1984) — on the poet’s political responsibility; and “Arts of the Possible” (1997) — on the relationship between aesthetic freedom and economic democracy.
Rich’s prose is as carefully crafted as her poetry: she writes criticism with a poet’s attention to rhythm and precision, and her arguments are built not through academic apparatus but through accumulation of specific instances, historical examples, and personal testimony. The essays demonstrate that her political engagement was not separate from her aesthetic practice but identical with it: politics and poetry are not two activities but one — the struggle to tell the truth.
Collecting Arts of the Possible
First edition (W.W. Norton, New York, 2001): Cloth with dust jacket.
Market values:
- First edition, fine/fine: $20–$50
- Very good: $10–$20