In The Best Fiction, The Language Itself

Maybe The Example Of Southern Fiction Writing Has Been So Powerful That Southern Poets Have Sort Of Keyed Themselves To That.

Philip Larkin Has A Tough Honesty And Sense Of Humor That I Find Irresistible, As A Contemporary Poet.

I Encourage Students To Pursue An Idea Far Enough So They Can See What The Cliches And Stereotypes Are. Only Then Do They Begin To Hit Pay Dirt.

The Fact That Something Is In A Rhymed Form Or In Blank Verse Will Not Make It Good Poetry.

One Of The Most Powerful Devices Of Poetry Is The Use Of Distortions. You Can Go From Talking About The Way A Minute Passes To The Way A Century Passes, Or A Lifetime.