Friday
April 19, 2019
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Next Line, Please

Next Line, Please

Each Tuesday, our readers contribute a new line of verse—or a completed poem—in collaboration with a renowned poet.

Previous posts

Questions and Echoes

Questions and Echoes

by David Lehman | Tuesday, April 16, 2019
Why Not?

Why Not?

by David Lehman | Tuesday, April 09, 2019
A New Genre

A New Genre

by David Lehman | Tuesday, April 02, 2019
The Lehman Trilogy

The Lehman Trilogy

by David Lehman | Tuesday, March 26, 2019
Red Eyes and Blue Moons

Red Eyes and Blue Moons

by David Lehman | Tuesday, March 19, 2019
Two-Word Titles

Two-Word Titles

by David Lehman | Tuesday, March 12, 2019
The Trope of a Nation

The Trope of a Nation

by David Lehman | Tuesday, March 05, 2019
Reverse Scrabble

Reverse Scrabble

by David Lehman | Tuesday, February 26, 2019
This Was Glory, Too

This Was Glory, Too

by David Lehman | Tuesday, February 19, 2019
Stanzaic Choreography

Stanzaic Choreography

by David Lehman | Tuesday, February 12, 2019
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THIS WEEK’S ARCHIVE PICK

2nd Look

What Is a Dog?

by Chloe Shaw

We admit that unofficial, national fill-in-the-blank days can sometimes feel contrived. (National Pizza with the Works Except Anchovies Day, anyone?) But National Hug Your Dog Day (April 10) is too good not to celebrate, especially if it means we can revisit one of our favorite essays: Chloe Shaw’s “What Is a Dog?” from our Spring 2018 issue. After losing a beloved hound named Booker—described as a “wolf meets horse meets dinosaur meets tongue”—Shaw confronts the joys and inevitable sorrows of loving a pet. “A dog is a second chance. A dog is death and life. A dog is plush red carpet and fresh warm pee.” A dog is worth celebrating, and not only on April 10.