Born in Ohio, Hart Crane's early life was filled with change and trauma. His family's many moves and his parents' divorce turned him to writing at age 13. In 1923, Crane moved to New York, where he published his first book of poetry, White Buildings, in 1926. In 1930 he published The Bridge, considered by most to be his best work. That same year he won the Levinson Prize from Poetry Magazine; he was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1931. Crane's life ended in 1932 when he committed suicide by drowning. He jumped from a ship as he was returning to the United States from a trip to Mexico.
Michael Parenti (Ph.D., Yale University) is an internationally known, award-winning author, scholar, and lecturer who addresses a wide variety of political and cultural subjects. Among his recent books are Waiting for Yesterday (2013), The Face of Imperialism (2011), God and His Demons (2010), and Democracy for the Few, 9th edition (2010).Harold Bloom was born on July 11, 1930 in New York City. He earned his Bachelor of Arts from Cornell in 1951 and his Doctorate from Yale in 1955. After graduating from Yale, Bloom remained there as a teacher, and was made Sterling Professor of Humanities in 1983. Bloom's theories have changed the way that critics think of literary tradition and has also… focused his attentions on history and the Bible. He has written over twenty books and edited countless others. He is one of the most famous critics in the world and considered an expert in many fields. In 2010 he became a founding patron of Ralston College, a new institution in Savannah, Georgia, that focuses on primary texts. His works include Fallen Angels, Till I End My Song: A Gathering of Last Poems, Anatomy of Influence: Literature as a Way of Life and The Shadow of a Great Rock: A Literary Appreciation of The King James Bible.