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Shannon: A Poem of the Lewis and Clark Expedition
From the inimitable Campbell McGrath comes an epic poem of george shannon, the youngest member of the lewis and clark expedition, who wandered the prairie alone for sixteen days.
The last of the Maha will fade from the earth Vanquished utterly by the Pawnee & after the Pawnee the Sioux may perish & eventually the Kentuckians and Ohioans &c—I doubt not but my countrymen Will populate in numbers these fulsome plains But what untold count Of years & men, of decades & centuries What numberless generations will it require Life by life & skeleton by skeleton To claim this land from the buffalo?
With Shannon, a testament to both natural splendor and human courage, Campbell McGrath has created a thrilling narrative that rises from those vast, lonely spaces that continue to haunt the American consciousness.
The last of the Maha will fade from the earth Vanquished utterly by the Pawnee & after the Pawnee the Sioux may perish & eventually the Kentuckians and Ohioans &c—I doubt not but my countrymen Will populate in numbers these fulsome plains But what untold count Of years & men, of decades & centuries What numberless generations will it require Life by life & skeleton by skeleton To claim this land from the buffalo?
With Shannon, a testament to both natural splendor and human courage, Campbell McGrath has created a thrilling narrative that rises from those vast, lonely spaces that continue to haunt the American consciousness.
113 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
7 people are currently reading
66 people want to read
About the author
Campbell McGrath
32 books37 followersCampbell McGrath (born 1962) is a modern American poet. He is the author of nine full-length collections of poetry, including his most recent, Seven Notebooks (Ecco Press, 2008), Shannon: A Poem of the Lewis and Clark Expedition (Ecco Press, 2009), and In the Kingdom of the Sea Monkeys (Ecco Press, forthcoming, 2012).
Contents
1 Life
2 Music
3 Awards
4 Works
5 Bibliography
6 References
7 External links
Life
McGrath was born in Chicago, Illinois, and grew up in Washington, D.C., where he attended Sidwell Friends School; among his classmates was the poet Elizabeth Alexander. He received his B.A. from the University of Chicago in 1984 and his MFA from Columbia University's creative writing program in 1988, where he was classmates with Rick Moody. He currently lives in Miami Beach, Florida, and teaches creative writing at Florida International University, where his students have included Richard Blanco, Susan Briante, Jay Snodgrass and Emma Trelles. He is married to Elizabeth Lichtenstein, whom he met while he was an undergraduate; they have two sons.[1]
Music
In the early 1980s, while a student at the University of Chicago, he was a member of the punk band Men From The Manly Planet.[2]
Awards
McGrath has been recognized by some of the most prestigious American poetry awards, including the Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award (for "The Bob Hope Poem" in Spring Comes to Chicago, his third book of poems), a Pushcart Prize, the Academy of American Poets Prize, a Ploughshares Cohen Award, a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Witter Bynner Fellowship from the Library of Congress, and a MacArthur Foundation "Genius Award." In 2011 he was named a Fellow of United States Artists.[3]
Works
While primarily known as a poet, McGrath has also written a play, "The Autobiography of Edvard Munch" (produced by Concrete Gothic Theater, Chicago, 1983); a libretto for Orlando Garcia's experimental video opera "Transcending Time" (premiered at the New Music Biennalle, Zagreb, Croatia, 2009); collaborated with the video artist John Stuart on the video/poetry piece "14 Views of Miami" (premiered at The Wolfsonian, Miami, 2008); and translated the Aristophanes play The Wasps for the Penn Greek Drama Series.
Bibliography
Dust (chapbook, Ohio Review Press, 1988)
Capitalism (Wesleyan University Press, 1990)
American Noise (Ecco Press, 1993)
Spring Comes to Chicago (Ecco Press, 1996)
Road Atlas (Ecco Press, 1999)
Mangrovia (chapbook, Short Line Editions, 2001)
Florida Poems (Ecco Press, 2002)
Pax Atomica (Ecco Press, 2004)
Heart of Anthracite: New & Collected Prose Poems (Stride Press, UK)
Seven Notebooks (Ecco Press, 2008)
Shannon: A Poem of the Lewis and Clark Expedition (Ecco Press, 2009)
The Custodian & Other Poems (chapbook, Floating Wolf Quarterly, 2011)
In the Kingdom of the Sea Monkeys (Ecco Press, 2012)
References
Contents
1 Life
2 Music
3 Awards
4 Works
5 Bibliography
6 References
7 External links
Life
McGrath was born in Chicago, Illinois, and grew up in Washington, D.C., where he attended Sidwell Friends School; among his classmates was the poet Elizabeth Alexander. He received his B.A. from the University of Chicago in 1984 and his MFA from Columbia University's creative writing program in 1988, where he was classmates with Rick Moody. He currently lives in Miami Beach, Florida, and teaches creative writing at Florida International University, where his students have included Richard Blanco, Susan Briante, Jay Snodgrass and Emma Trelles. He is married to Elizabeth Lichtenstein, whom he met while he was an undergraduate; they have two sons.[1]
Music
In the early 1980s, while a student at the University of Chicago, he was a member of the punk band Men From The Manly Planet.[2]
Awards
McGrath has been recognized by some of the most prestigious American poetry awards, including the Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award (for "The Bob Hope Poem" in Spring Comes to Chicago, his third book of poems), a Pushcart Prize, the Academy of American Poets Prize, a Ploughshares Cohen Award, a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Witter Bynner Fellowship from the Library of Congress, and a MacArthur Foundation "Genius Award." In 2011 he was named a Fellow of United States Artists.[3]
Works
While primarily known as a poet, McGrath has also written a play, "The Autobiography of Edvard Munch" (produced by Concrete Gothic Theater, Chicago, 1983); a libretto for Orlando Garcia's experimental video opera "Transcending Time" (premiered at the New Music Biennalle, Zagreb, Croatia, 2009); collaborated with the video artist John Stuart on the video/poetry piece "14 Views of Miami" (premiered at The Wolfsonian, Miami, 2008); and translated the Aristophanes play The Wasps for the Penn Greek Drama Series.
Bibliography
Dust (chapbook, Ohio Review Press, 1988)
Capitalism (Wesleyan University Press, 1990)
American Noise (Ecco Press, 1993)
Spring Comes to Chicago (Ecco Press, 1996)
Road Atlas (Ecco Press, 1999)
Mangrovia (chapbook, Short Line Editions, 2001)
Florida Poems (Ecco Press, 2002)
Pax Atomica (Ecco Press, 2004)
Heart of Anthracite: New & Collected Prose Poems (Stride Press, UK)
Seven Notebooks (Ecco Press, 2008)
Shannon: A Poem of the Lewis and Clark Expedition (Ecco Press, 2009)
The Custodian & Other Poems (chapbook, Floating Wolf Quarterly, 2011)
In the Kingdom of the Sea Monkeys (Ecco Press, 2012)
References
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
July 30, 2025
“In a land of plenty
I travel hungry.
In a country of herds
I wander alone.
On a journey of discovery
I am the lost.”
Amazing poem
I travel hungry.
In a country of herds
I wander alone.
On a journey of discovery
I am the lost.”
Amazing poem
August 12, 2009
At first, I was astounded that McGrath would be able to find subjects to occupy his time as he explored George Shannon's days apart from the L&C expedition. After finishing, I was surprised that he didn't make it longer. I thoroughly enjoyed this work - and I had tried to read another of McGrath's titles, Seven Notebooks, but I just couldn't get into it. This one however, was excellent.
The young narrator takes us through his wonderment at his surroundings, his questioning of a higher power, and his practical and physical needs as he loses his way along the Missouri. His voice, especially the humor and the frustration, comes through in such an authentic way. A great epic American poem.
One of my favorite lines:
"In a land of plenty
I travel hungry.
In a country of herds
I wander alone.
On a journey of discovery
I am the lost."
The young narrator takes us through his wonderment at his surroundings, his questioning of a higher power, and his practical and physical needs as he loses his way along the Missouri. His voice, especially the humor and the frustration, comes through in such an authentic way. A great epic American poem.
One of my favorite lines:
"In a land of plenty
I travel hungry.
In a country of herds
I wander alone.
On a journey of discovery
I am the lost."
September 25, 2010
"This much for certain -- if God
Did create the buffalo
He made one great, strange, daft animal."
I loved this book-length poem, that purports to be the mental musings, worryings, strategizing and philosophizing of George Shannon, the youngest member of the Lewis & Clark expedition, who became separated from the party with no means to locate or feed himself.
"Who finds this body
Be it known
My name is George Shannon
& I bequeath my remains
To seed this land
With American bones."
Did create the buffalo
He made one great, strange, daft animal."
I loved this book-length poem, that purports to be the mental musings, worryings, strategizing and philosophizing of George Shannon, the youngest member of the Lewis & Clark expedition, who became separated from the party with no means to locate or feed himself.
"Who finds this body
Be it known
My name is George Shannon
& I bequeath my remains
To seed this land
With American bones."
July 16, 2024
"George Shannon was often lost, but George Shannon was often found."
That quote may not be exact, but it is a great line about George, the youngest member of the Corps of Discovery (also known as, Lewis & Clark Expedition). The book is written as a narrative poetry, portraying the twelve days that George Shannon was ahead of the crew alongside the Missouri River (while thinking he was behind them).
Not being used to reading narrative poetry, it was bit difficult to get into but I figured out the flow. McGrath, then, explained who George Shannon was and gave some fun facts about him. Which was interesting to me as I'm a direct descendent to George Shannon through one of his daughters.
That quote may not be exact, but it is a great line about George, the youngest member of the Corps of Discovery (also known as, Lewis & Clark Expedition). The book is written as a narrative poetry, portraying the twelve days that George Shannon was ahead of the crew alongside the Missouri River (while thinking he was behind them).
Not being used to reading narrative poetry, it was bit difficult to get into but I figured out the flow. McGrath, then, explained who George Shannon was and gave some fun facts about him. Which was interesting to me as I'm a direct descendent to George Shannon through one of his daughters.
March 20, 2019
On first glance, this book length poem impresses with its ambition (and years after reading it, I'm still kind of amazed that more American poets have found a subject in Lewis and Clark!). But it lives up to the expectations it raises. Probably works as well as it does because it keeps itself limited to one man during one 16 day period. Here's a thing I wrote quite a while ago:
https://annarborobserver.com/articles...
https://annarborobserver.com/articles...
January 19, 2020
Poetry based on a young man who pursues some lost horses from the Lewis and Clark Expedition. He spends 14 days on the open prairie, living by his wits and returns to the expedition. The poem is based on entries of the Lewis and Clark journals, so it is a work of historical fiction. It is richly based on entries and research. Outstanding effort.
January 14, 2023
It looks like lines of poetry on the page, but it's more like a short story. Although at one point, the author illustrates all the bison on the plains with the word "buffalo" scattered randomly all over the page, like this.
May 27, 2018
"On a journey of discover
I am the lost.
Who owns this land
More truly than the bones of the creatures"
I am the lost.
Who owns this land
More truly than the bones of the creatures"
December 15, 2020
Really interesting epic poem on the wilds of Pre-Industrial America. Cool perspectives from Shannon, definitely was going crazy by the end.
August 30, 2025
This very enjoyable book consists of 3 pages from the journal of William Clark (he of the Lewis and Clark expedition) and a 94-page narrative poem written in free verse. The author imagines the thoughts and feelings of the 19-year-old George Shannon, who in real life was a member of the Corps of Discovery and who got separated the main body of the expedition. He spent 16 days alone on the prairie trying to find the rest of the group.
What impressed me about the piece is the character's sense of the vastness of the plains, which he says are both empty and crowded: empty because of the lack of people, and crowded because of the multitude of animals on them, especially buffalo. The poet creates the sense of the vastness of the plains before "civilization" overtook them.
In real life, Shannon had almost no food with him, so much of the narrative consists of him trying to acquire food and the decay of his mind as hunger overtakes him. He imagines himself as a badger, an Ant-God, and a buffalo. He repeats the word "buffalo" over and over for more than a page while he imagines where they are located in relation to him.
The last page of the poem consists of his thoughts that, since he is going to die of starvation, his bones will be the first American bones in this expanse. He also imagines the future of the area; he is a supporter of "progress" and American expansion, and mentions what will happen as this region becomes a populated part of the USA: All of the Native Americans will eventually die out, and they will be replaced by Kentuckians and Ohioans, and he imagines how long it will take for the settlers to displace the buffalo.
Of course, as is well known, pioneers aimed to kill off the buffalo in order to subdue the indigenous Americans. But Shannon, who is accustomed to hunting and imagining expansion, does not seem to regret this future of the land.
The character who was so impressed with the vastness and crowdedness of the plains in their natural state does not seem ready to mourn the process of their destruction started with the Corps of Discovery's expedition.
What did the real George Shannon feel about his experiences lost in the plains? We will never know, because, as Campbell McGrath tells us in the afterword, he was one of the few members of the expedition who did not keep a journal.
What impressed me about the piece is the character's sense of the vastness of the plains, which he says are both empty and crowded: empty because of the lack of people, and crowded because of the multitude of animals on them, especially buffalo. The poet creates the sense of the vastness of the plains before "civilization" overtook them.
In real life, Shannon had almost no food with him, so much of the narrative consists of him trying to acquire food and the decay of his mind as hunger overtakes him. He imagines himself as a badger, an Ant-God, and a buffalo. He repeats the word "buffalo" over and over for more than a page while he imagines where they are located in relation to him.
The last page of the poem consists of his thoughts that, since he is going to die of starvation, his bones will be the first American bones in this expanse. He also imagines the future of the area; he is a supporter of "progress" and American expansion, and mentions what will happen as this region becomes a populated part of the USA: All of the Native Americans will eventually die out, and they will be replaced by Kentuckians and Ohioans, and he imagines how long it will take for the settlers to displace the buffalo.
Of course, as is well known, pioneers aimed to kill off the buffalo in order to subdue the indigenous Americans. But Shannon, who is accustomed to hunting and imagining expansion, does not seem to regret this future of the land.
The character who was so impressed with the vastness and crowdedness of the plains in their natural state does not seem ready to mourn the process of their destruction started with the Corps of Discovery's expedition.
What did the real George Shannon feel about his experiences lost in the plains? We will never know, because, as Campbell McGrath tells us in the afterword, he was one of the few members of the expedition who did not keep a journal.
August 28, 2014
I didn't expect to like this one as much as I did, not being a huge fan of American history, nor knowing much about it, in fact. But my attention was already caught by the fact that this whole book is one poem, divided into 15 sections. Each part is like another day during which Shannon wandered alone, his total wandering having lasted for 16 days.
It's not so much an educational poem about the Lewis and Clark expedition, but rather a coming of age, as the author stated himself, and a fictitious one at that. What the poem did wonderfully was illustrate the surroundings and deliver the mentality and atmosphere of the time period, from the details Shannon"rambled on" about his family, to the diction of the writing itself. One 'chapter', 13, was by far my favourite in that regard because of how suddenly the style of the writing changed. It felt like Shannon's hunger was finally taking a tole on him and his mind, the way the thoughts were even more jumbled and seemingly all over the place.
It's a book I'll come back to in a few years to fully appreciate it. Right now though it was still pleasant read that created a complete atmosphere and made for another good, leisurely read.
It's not so much an educational poem about the Lewis and Clark expedition, but rather a coming of age, as the author stated himself, and a fictitious one at that. What the poem did wonderfully was illustrate the surroundings and deliver the mentality and atmosphere of the time period, from the details Shannon"rambled on" about his family, to the diction of the writing itself. One 'chapter', 13, was by far my favourite in that regard because of how suddenly the style of the writing changed. It felt like Shannon's hunger was finally taking a tole on him and his mind, the way the thoughts were even more jumbled and seemingly all over the place.
It's a book I'll come back to in a few years to fully appreciate it. Right now though it was still pleasant read that created a complete atmosphere and made for another good, leisurely read.
March 14, 2016
I enjoyed McGrath's poem which imagines the thoughts and experiences of young George Shannon who got separated from the Lewis and Clark Expedition for 16 days. He was able to gather little food in those days, except for berries, plums, one rabbit, and some bugs. But the sights and wonders he must have seen! That great expanse of open wilderness forever etched on his mind. I've always enjoyed the stories and history surrounding pioneers such Daniel Boone. This story has become more complicated in my mind, however. Yes, these pioneers opened up access to previously unexplored regions to the rest of the country for the rest of the world. But in doing so they brought with them the very civilization which would prove to be a blight on many of these lands and native peoples, animals, birds, plants, etc. How to be in the presence of grandeur and appreciate without having to possess and destroy . . . one of the great puzzles of our day.
October 31, 2009
I discovered this poet while searching for a book that would be a good traveling companion for my trip to Cape Disappointment, the end of the Lewis & Clark trail, which I visited during a celebration of the third anniversary of my journey across the country to the Pacific Northwest to start a new life. I am blown away by this piece – the language McGrath uses creates a vivid sense of time in history for both the mission and the man Shannon, providing context so that the focus of this compelling storytelling can stay with the protagonist's very personal recollection and experience. I am very excited to read more of McGrath's work!
July 30, 2010
Eh. It's poetry, which is something I've never really been a fan of. There were some places I had a hard time following - either the narrator was just rambling, or the author used run-on sentences (yes, I KNOW it's poetry and the poet can do whatever he wants, but come on, make it easy for some of us!). My favorite part would be these lines:
In a land of plenty
I travel hungry.
In a country of herds
I wander alone.
On a journey of discovery
I am the lost.
Very well put. And oh yeah, I also liked the buffalo page, where it just says "buffalo" like 100 times. Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo.
In a land of plenty
I travel hungry.
In a country of herds
I wander alone.
On a journey of discovery
I am the lost.
Very well put. And oh yeah, I also liked the buffalo page, where it just says "buffalo" like 100 times. Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo.
September 21, 2014
I heard of this book on an NPR story, I think. I remember that I read it while camping with my family in Itasca state park in Minnesota. I found it a remarkable book. And I think the book had a stronger effect on me because I was spending so much time in the wilderness. I also was living in North Dakota at the time, and it's de rigeur to learn something about Lewis and Clark if you spend much time in the state. Highly recommended if you have even a small interest in poetry and Lewis and Clark.
Related to this book, is Frank X Walker's two books about York. In addition, you can't go wrong watching the Ken Burns PBS documentary Corps of Discovery about the Lewis and Clark expedition.
Related to this book, is Frank X Walker's two books about York. In addition, you can't go wrong watching the Ken Burns PBS documentary Corps of Discovery about the Lewis and Clark expedition.
October 1, 2015
I'm not usually fond of narrative poetry, but I found this poem very intriguing. The historical fiction tells a tale that is very reflective and captures the nature of the human mind well. The writing style and typography mimics that of the historical setting, and the narrative mimics the thought processes of the mind. I found it to be well written and a good description of what may have happened in the mind of young Shannon during those 16 days.
July 28, 2010
I am not a big fan of poetry, but my coworker is and she picked this for our next bookclub. I enjoyed this book. It has powerful imagery. I also liked the way he used the words on the page to create a different picture. For poetry this wasn't all that bad!
July 11, 2009
I'm not a poetry person. I've read some Nikki Giovanni and John Donne.
The most I can say is the poem held my interest and, at times, I even laughed. It exceeded my expectations.
The most I can say is the poem held my interest and, at times, I even laughed. It exceeded my expectations.
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January 29, 2014Campbell McGrath, AB'84
Author
From our pages (The Core, Winter/14): http://thecore.uchicago.edu/Winter201...
Author
From our pages (The Core, Winter/14): http://thecore.uchicago.edu/Winter201...
March 3, 2015
By great strides the best part of this book was the Buffalo section.
I can give nothing else away.
Still... was good.
I can give nothing else away.
Still... was good.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews