Big cities Quote by Allison Joseph
“Young poets worry that their experiences - whether urban or rural, immigrant or native, small town, suburb, or big city - aren't worthy of the written word. But for me the urge toward poetry, that seductive feeling of being swept away by words, was enough for me to overcome that fear that my experiences weren't worthy of poetry itself.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: Voices of Emerging Poets, 2020
The poet overcomes fear of cultural marginalization by embracing the intrinsic joy of language, allowing personal experience to validate poetic expression.
In simple terms: Embrace the love of words to overcome doubts about your background’s worth.
Key Takeaway
Write from joy, not validation.
Themes
creativity
identity
fear
self‑acceptance
artistic expression
cultural voice
Mood
hopeful
determined
inspired
Type
reflective
motivational
literary
When to use this quote
- writing workshops
- personal storytelling
- cultural representation
- literary circles
Key Concepts
self‑validation
artistic confidence
Questions to Reflect On
- How does joy sustain your creative practice?
- What steps can you take to share your work confidently?
A Different Perspective
Even with joy, external criticism may persist.
![“...few young poets [are] testing their poems against the ear. They're writing for the page, and the page, let me tell you, is a cold bed.” quote by Stanley Kunitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/42c/stanley-kunitz-10896_bed_few-young-poets-are-testing-their-poems_617455.jpg)
![“One thing that's really interesting is not only the magnitude of the recent immigration into this country, but also its distribution and its investment in the country. About 9.3 percent of the population is now foreign-born [announced by the Census Bureau at over 10 percent a few days later]…” quote by Kenneth Prewitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/1ec/kenneth-prewitt-70686_big-cities_one-thing-that-s-really-interesting-is-n_122203.jpg)
