Where does celebrated poet Elizabeth Alexander jot down her ideas? It might just be on the back of a cocktail napkin, she tells Kirkus. In her new essay collection, Signals Across Vast Distances, she examines the work of other poets and writers and reflects on her own experiences; the Kirkus review calls it a “timely meditation on poetry and connectedness, modeling ways of resisting racism and authoritarianism.” Alexander is president of the Mellon Foundation, which supports people working in the arts and humanities, and says she’s “incredibly inspired” by the work of the foundation’s grantees. Audiobooks are another medium that sends signals across vast distances, and listeners can look forward to Alexander once again narrating her work—she gave vibrant, passionate performances of The Trayvon Generation (2022) and The Light of the World (2015). The new audiobook is out Sept. 15 from Dreamscape, and Alexander recently answered some questions via email.

What inspired you during the writing of the book? What were you reading, listening to, watching?

I am inspired by the poetry, scholarship, and visual art that take us into each other’s lives and worldviews, and that stirs us to feeling and shifted insight. I am always listening widely and eclectically to music and am inspired by its power to get inside our bodies and make us sing, exalt, stomp, grieve, get down, laugh, cry, and come together. I am also incredibly inspired by the work that so many of our Mellon Foundation grantees are doing in public spaces, telling stories in unexpected forms of our amazing American history, sometimes with great bravery. I am inspired by the people past and present who are standing up and using their voices to name what is collective and caring, culturally specific, filled with beauty and integrity even when they are staring down the danger that we see in the attempted erasure of history and the assaults on human dignity that are overgrown today. People keep singing and making and doing, and that gives me extraordinary inspiration.

What was most challenging about writing this book? And most rewarding?

Most challenging was finding the time and headspace to write this book while doing my demanding and all-encompassing day job of leading the Mellon Foundation. Most rewarding was getting it done! And seeing how words in book form have their own uniquely helpful and beautiful work to do in the world.

Where and when did you write the book? Describe the scene, the time of day, the necessary accoutrements or talismans.

I write whenever I can, wherever I can—I have so many responsibilities in my work that there is no time or space for ritual these days. I do like a Docket Diamond legal pad, as well as the back of a cocktail napkin.

You’ve narrated your audiobooks before. What’s your experience in the studio like?

I love being in the studio. I think about all the great musicians whose energy is in the booth, as well as the many soul-stirring words of great writers swirling in the ether. It brings you into such an intimate relationship with your words when you hear them spoken in that small space. Unfortunately, that means I also hear a few things that I might want to tweak at the last minute, but I try to be humble about that and say, I’ve done my best! Let’s share!

What fall release(s) are you most eager to get your hands on?

We by Layli Long Soldier. Behold by Shara McCallum.The Disappearers by Marlon James. Racist by Design: Two Centuries of U.S. Immigration Control by Kelly Lytle Hernández. An Unexpected Life: A Memoir by Gloria Steinem. Perfect Italian by Kiki Petrosino.

Jennifer Dowell is the audiobooks editor.