From reading a previous answer, you know that I consider all those aspects to be part of American cultural myth and thus they figure into good American poetry, whether the poet is aware of what he is doing or not. – Diane Wakoski

I think that great poetry is the most interesting and complex use of the poets language at that point in history, and so its even more exciting when you read a poet like Yeats, almost 100 years old now, and you think that perhaps no one can really top that. – Diane Wakoski

American poetry, like American painting, is always personal with an emphasis on the individuality of the poet. – Diane Wakoski