In a refreshing and encouraging volume of cultural essays Nayeli Riano presents nineteen reflections from the intersection of hope, memory, and modernity. Her work assists readers in strengthening the human spirit in a secular world. Emphasizing the spiritual pulse within each person, she finds hope for the future in the humanities and works of the past. Riano analyzes various works of literature, art, and music featuring essays on poets, composers, artists, and philosophers. Each of these individuals presented ideas regarding hope and memory and the importance of them to the human spirit. In a world where many search for meaning and coherence, the voices of the past presented in this volume remind us that there is structure and purpose in our world. Among the subjects presented are essays on the work and thought of: T. S. Eliot Christina Rossetti W. B. Yeats J. R. R. Tolkien Paul Henry George Santayana Samuel Taylor Coleridge Franz Liszt Fyodor Dostoevsky Diego Velázquez Nayeli Riano is a widely-published freelance writer of politics, religion, and art. She is a graduate student at Georgetown University pursuing a Ph.D. in political theory. Previously, Nayeli attended the University of Pennsylvania, where she completed her B.A. in English and French studies. She then studied at the University of St Andrews, where she completed an M.Litt. in Intellectual History.