American poetry is a mess. Long live American poetry.

I exaggerate. I oversimplify. I generalize. But there’s no cynicism here. American poetry is a mess. Long live American poetry.

— David Biespiel

We're leaving this Hell of a mess before long and we're going to go to our Country and our City to be with our…

— David Berg

I love communicating with people, and sometimes language is not enough. I think that's what poetry is, where you can mess with language and…

— Justin Adams

I think the best American poetry is the poetry that utilizes the resources of poetry rather than exploits the defects or triumphs of the…

— Mark Strand

Distinctly American poetry is usually written in the context of one's geographic landscape, sometimes out of one's cultural myths, and often with reference to…

— Diane Wakoski

American poetry is always about defining oneself individually,claiming one's right to be different and often to break taboos.

— Diane Wakoski

“Tell this to ladies: how a hero man Assail a thick and scandalous giant Who casts true shadow in the sun, And die, but…

— John Crowe Ransom

“LIFE IS NEVER OVER.”

— Amy King

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

— Diane Wakoski

Mandelstam is the sort of poet who comes along very, very rarely. Even the two Russian poets whose work is often linked with his…

— Christian Wiman

From reading a previous answer, you know that I consider all those aspects to be part of American cultural myth and thus they figure…

— Diane Wakoski

Kerouac: You're ruining American poetry, O'Hara. O'Hara: That's more than you ever did for it, Kerouac

— Frank O'Hara

“Mr Rutger cornet de Groot. Never read any American poetry or any other foreign poetry, which is why he always mentions 2 poets as…

— Martinus Hendrikus Benders

Probably the high-watermark of [Bob] Dylan's career came after he plugged in his guitar ("Judas!" one fan shouted during a concert) and exploded American…

— Jay Michaelson

I'm educating myself more about world poetry. I know a lot about contemporary American poetry, so I felt I needed to learn more about…

— Allison Joseph