While serving as U.S. Poet Laureate for an unprecedented three terms from 1997 to 2000, Robert Pinsky (1940—) founded the Favorite Poem Project, which gave a voice to America’s vigorous and varied poetry audience. Pinsky has been active as a critic, poet, translator of verse, and most recently authored a prose book, The Life of David (Schocken, 2005). Currently, Pinsky is a professor at Boston University and the poetry editor for the online magazine, Slate; he has also written the “Poet’s Choice” column for the Washington Post, and has made cameo appearances on the popular television show The Simpsons and The Colbert Report. His poem, “Shirt,” is a meditative journey through social and literary history based upon, as the title suggests, a shirt.