A hybrid incorporating archival material from the 1600s, Bright Advent gives flesh to a ghost of Early American history largely forgotten, specifically the dark and complicated story of the Massachusett Indian John Sassamon and the Puritan missionary John Eliot.

Robert Strongis an editor at Common-place and has received fellowships from the Massachusetts Historical Society and the American Antiquarian Society. Previous books include Puritan Spectacle, Joyful Noise: An Anthology, the chapbook Brethren, and the conceptual fiction Manufact Hologram.