I certainly cant speak for all cultures or all societies, but its clear that in America, poetry serves a very marginal purpose. Its not part of the cultural mainstream. – Mark Strand
A great many people seem to think writing poetry is worthwhile, even though it pays next to nothing and is not as widely read as it should be. – Mark Strand
And at least in poetry you should feel free to lie. That is, not to lie, but to imagine what you want, to follow the direction of the poem. – Mark Strand
And yet, in a culture like ours, which is given to material comforts, and addicted to forms of entertainment that offer immediate gratification, it is surprising that so much poetry is written. – Mark Strand
When I hit a block, regardless of what I am writing, what the subject matter is, or whats going on in the plot, I go back and I read Pablo Nerudas poetry. I dont actually speak Spanish, so I read it translation. But I always go back to Neruda. I dont know why, but it calms me, calms my brain. – Tea Obreht
Having been blacklisted from working in television during the McCarthy era, I know the harm of government using private corporations to intrude into the lives of innocent Americans. When government uses the telephone companies to create massive databases of all our phone calls it has gone too far. – Studs Terkel