Maggie Nelson is a poet and the author of nonfiction books and essays, including Jane: A Murder and The Art of Cruelty. She teaches at CalArts in Valencia, California.
 

"and the answer changed. Inside the barn
the boys build bongs out of
copper piping, electrical tape, and

jars. All of the children here have
leaky brown eyes, and a certain precision
of gesture. Even the maple syrup

tastes like liquor. After dinner
I sit the cutest little boy on my knee
and read him a book about the history of cod

absentmindedly explaining overfishing,
the slave trade. People for rum? he asks,
incredulously. Yes, I nod. People for rum."

– Maggie Nelson, from Thanksgiving