Austin's lifelong interests in bridging cultures and in the literature of Native Americans finds mature expression in
The American Rhythm(1923), a collection of Native American verse prefaced by a lengthy essay describing the anthology's philosophical and aesthetic underpinnings. Perhaps more than any of her other books,
The American Rhythmhas drawn the interest of readers and interpreters of Native American cultures and literatures. This book grew out of Austin's life-long fascination with the effects of the land on shaping the cultures of its inhabitants, an interest she had studied most diligently in the American Southwest.
It did not, however, spring from a cultural vacuum, nor was the inspiration for it the product of a single mind. In 1917, the magazine Poetry, founded and
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Citation: Hoyer, Mark T.. "The American Rhythm". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 06 June 2003 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=6729, accessed 21 November 2024.]