Because, in fact, women, feminists, do read my poetry, and they read it often with the power of their political interpretation. I don't care; that's what poetry is supposed to do. Diane Wakoski More Quotes by Diane Wakoski More Quotes From Diane Wakoski But I am not political in the current events sense, and I have never wanted anyone to read my poetry that way. Diane Wakoski events political way High and low culture come together in all Post Modern art, and American poetry is not excluded from this. Diane Wakoski together culture art I do not read newspapers. I do not watch television. I am not interested in current events, although I will occasionally discuss them if other people want to discuss them. Diane Wakoski events watches people American poets celebrate their bodies, very specifically, as Whitman did. Diane Wakoski hymns celebrate-life body I had been dreaming a complicated dream about helping poets revise their poems, so that each ending would open like a flower. I was not arguing, but engaged in a rousing discussion. Diane Wakoski flower dream helping Innocence is suffering Diane Wakoski innocence suffering loss I don't like political poetry, and I don't write it. If this question was pointing towards that, I think it is missing the point of the American tradition, which is always apolitical, even when the poetry comes out of politically active writers. Diane Wakoski political writing thinking There are rituals not structures for being a poet, drinking too much, taking too many drugs, being a lady chaser, having your nervous breakdown, being irresponsible about money. Diane Wakoski drug too-much drinking The best young writers are convinced they need blurbs from famous writers before an editor will even read the first page of a manuscript. If this is true, then the editorial system that prevails today stinks. And let's start reforming it. Diane Wakoski editors pages needs We are authors, all of us, concerned with beginning, with making, with sources and substance. Diane Wakoski concerned source substance Poetry is one of the essential structures of civilization - carrying myth, ritual, 'tales of the tribe' and the essence of language. Diane Wakoski essentials essence civilization Poems reveal secrets when they are analyzed. The poet's pleasure in finding ingenious ways to enclose her secrets should be matched by the reader's pleasure in unlocking and revealing these secrets. Diane Wakoski unlocking secret way Poems come from incomplete knowledge. Diane Wakoski incomplete incomplete-knowledge poetry 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 reading literature answers American poetry, like American painting, is always personal with an emphasis on the individuality of the poet. Diane Wakoski painting individuality literature One, I have a wonderful publisher, Black Sparrow Press; as long as they exist, they will keep me in print. And they claim they sell very respectable numbers of my books, so I guess, and it's true, every place I go, my books are in libraries and on bookshelves. Diane Wakoski numbers long book Other people have noticed more of an evolution than I have and so I'll try to tell you where I'm coming from and also relate it to what I think other people perceive. Diane Wakoski trying people thinking PC stuff just lowers the general acceptance of good work and replaces it with bogus poetry that celebrates values that in themselves are probably quite worthy. Diane Wakoski good-work acceptance stuff
