I Didn't Know Writers Could Be Real

People Write Me From All Over The Country, Asking Me, And Sometimes Even Telling Me, What They Think A Poet Laureate Should Do. I Found That Immensely Valuable.

What Is Ironic Is That Allen Ginsberg's Importance Was In Its Twilight For So Many Years That It Took His Death To Bring It To The Front Page. He Electrified An Entire World!

I've Always Felt That The Poems I've Written Which Have Historical Context Are Hopefully Not Just Simply Plucking Something Out Of History And Saying Great, Let's Write About That. In Every Case What Has Happened Is That I've Become Fascinated Or Haunted By Something And Couldn't Shake It.

My Childhood Library Was Small Enough Not To Be Intimidating. And Yet I Felt The Whole World Was Contained In Those Two Rooms. I Could Walk Any Aisle And Smell Wisdom.

If The Poem Is So Moving That Even If You Have No Experience In That Particular Setting Be It 1920's Harlem Let's Say. You Still Are So Moved That You Can Put Yourself In That Position. That Means That The Writer Has Managed To Go Beyond The Personal And Touch The Humanity In All Of Us And It's Really A Blast To Read It Because I Realize How That This Does Hold True For The Truly Great Poems.