quotations about poetry
You're a true poet: but, my dear,
If you would hold the public ear,
Remember to be not too clear.
Be strange, be verbally intense;
Words matter ten times more than sense;
In clear streams, under sunny skies,
The fish you angle for won't rise;
In turbid water, cloudy weather,
They'll rush to you by shoals together.
WILLIAM ALLINGHAM
"Advice to a Young Poet"
How do poems grow? They grow out of your life.
ROBERT PENN WARREN
The New York Times, May 12, 1985
Getting my poems published was a great achievement, but it didn't pay the rent. The only time I made any money was when I won a CAPS fellowship from the New York State Council on the Arts in 1983. They gathered sixteen poets in a room and handed us each a check for $5,000. The room was filled with happiness so thick you could cut it. Eventually, I started looking around for another way to make a living.
ELIZABETH ZELVIN
"Interview Questions and Answers", official website