All John Barton Quotes
- I consider a poem to be a kind of experiment where a number of elements are brought together under test conditions to see how they… Brought
- I have become intrigued with the combining of seemingly unrelated ideas or images, or the drawing upon the many, sometimes dissimilar, meanings a word might… Become Intrigued
- The point of an experiment is not to arrive at a predetermined end point, to prove or disprove anything, but to deliver a poem that… Arrive
- An experienced reader uses the poem as an agent of inquiry. This makes poetry very exciting, unstable, and interactive. Agent
- Some readers allow their prejudices to blind them. A good reader knows how to disregard inappropriate responses. Allow
- No poem is easily grasped; so why should any reader expect fast results? Any
- Reading should be a repeat performance. Performance
- You can never step into the same book twice, because you are different each time you read it. Book
- Most victims of my autobiographical verse are either far too polite, remarkably understanding unaware that I have written poems about them. Autobiographical
- Poetry is but another form of inquiry into the nature of phenomena, using with its own unique procedures and tools. Another Form
- In the past, poetry came in the form of spells and chants used to effect change. Came
- If poetry alters the way in which the reader views the world, then it has had its desired effect. Alters
- The experiment of the poem is mostly intuitive. I write the first draft, pulling in the various elements that interest me, in the hope that… Combined
- I sometimes like to tinker with poems that have failed, ones that I have sent aside. Even years afterward, I will revisit them if there… Afterward
- I became intrigued with colour theory. The absurd pronouncements of the Colour Institute, a group that decides what colours are hot each year or season,… Absurd
- The poet must decide not to impose his feelings in order to write without sentimentality. Decide
- A literary journal is intended to connect writer with reader; the role of the editor is to mediate. Connect
- I find it exhausting to administer a magazine without an office or paid staff. Administer
- I feel very connected to poets across the country. Across
- The community of poets I belong to is not as close as it used to be, if only for the fact that our lives have… Become Busier