This comprehensive volume presents Harriet Monroe's (1860-1936) previously unexplored love affair with the American West, an infatuation that blossomed in three interrelated genres: prose, poetry, and drama. Known internationally as the founder and influential editor of Poetry: A Magazine of Verse, here Monroe is revealed as a prolific author with a passion for the people, scenery, and environments she encountered during western escapes from her constricted urban life in Chicago. Monroe's western travels were transformative. Originally schooled in the literary and artistic traditions of Europe, Monroe became increasingly convinced of the fundamental importance of the American West as the muse to which American writers and artists should turn for inspiration. Her vivid impressions of the Grand Canyon, the rituals of Native Americans, and the camaraderie of outings with John Muir and the Sierra Club include writings drawn from newspaper accounts and early journal articles as well as previously unpublished archival materials. The foreword by Lindsay Atnip and the introduction by Michael R. Hill helpfully place Monroe's genre-spanning writings within the vibrant artistic and intellectual milieu of the early twentieth century.