POETRY QUOTES XIII

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"

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How do poems grow? They grow out of your life.

ROBERT PENN WARREN

The New York Times, May 12, 1985

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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

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