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 Rhythm has 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

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Published 06 June 2003

Citation: Hoyer, Mark T.. "The American Rhythm". The Literary Encyclopedia. 6 June 2003.
[http://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=6729, accessed 9 February 2010.]