--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In college I studied essays with a poet…" description: "\"In college I studied essays with a poet, and so I think my interpretation of the genre was always going to be a little off-kilter.\" — John D'Agata" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6aa/john-d-agata-13689_college_in-college-i-studied-essays-with-a-poet_2900204.jpg" --- # In college I studied essays with a poet, and so I think my… ![“In college I studied essays with a poet, and so I think my interpretation of the genre was always going to be a little off-kilter.” quote by John D'Agata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6aa/john-d-agata-13689_college_in-college-i-studied-essays-with-a-poet_2900204.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6aa/john-d-agata-13689_college_in-college-i-studied-essays-with-a-poet_2900204.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6aa/john-d-agata-13689_college_in-college-i-studied-essays-with-a-poet_2900204.jpg) > “In college I studied essays with a poet, and so I think my interpretation of the genre was always going to be a little off-kilter.” [John D'Agata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-agata/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Studying poetry with a poet shaped an unconventional, slightly off‑beat view of the essay form, influencing his creative approach. **In simple terms:** Poetry taught him a quirky essay perspective. Key Takeaway Embrace unconventional influences in your work. Themes creativity literature form innovation self‑reflection Mood thoughtful curious Type philosophical creative When to use this quote - writing workshops - literary criticism - personal essays - teaching - artistic collaboration Key Concepts intertextuality genre hybridity personal voice Questions to Reflect On - How does poetry inform your prose? - Can unconventional perspectives improve clarity? A Different Perspective Some may view an off‑kilter approach as lacking rigor. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [College](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/college/) [Genre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genre/) [Interpretation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interpretation/) [Poet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poet/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [Yet there are some critics in the nonfiction world who still look at some of today's stranger interpretations of the essay and say "You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-agata/yet-there-are-some-critics-in-the-nonfiction-world-who-still-look-at/) [John D'Agata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-agata/) > [I wrote poetry for seven or eight years, maybe longer, before I could say I was a poet. If people asked, I'd say I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-dunn/i-wrote-poetry-for-seven-or-eight-years-maybe-longer-before-i-could/) [Stephen Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-dunn/) > [I try to avoid calling myself a poet because I think that's something someone else has to call you. It's like bragging.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorianne-laux/i-try-to-avoid-calling-myself-a-poet-because-i-think-that-s-something/) [Dorianne Laux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorianne-laux/) > [ \[Abbas Kiarostami\] is a great artist and a poet. I sometimes think that if Samuel Beckett made films, he'd make them like Kiarostami makes… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-minghella/abbas-kiarostami-is-a-great-artist-and-a-poet-i-sometimes-think-that/) [Anthony Minghella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-minghella/) > [I am no poet, but if you think for yourselves, as I proceed, the facts will form a poem in your minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-faraday/i-am-no-poet-but-if-you-think-for-yourselves-as-i-proceed-the-facts/) [Michael Faraday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-faraday/) > [Yes, you can feel very alone as a poet and you sometimes think, is it worth it? Is it worth carrying on? But because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcgough/yes-you-can-feel-very-alone-as-a-poet-and-you-sometimes-think-is-it/) [Roger McGough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcgough/) > [Is T.S. 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I think I would rather be / a painter, but I am not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-o-hara/i-am-not-a-painter-i-am-a-poet-why-i-think-i-would-rather-be-a/) [Frank O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-o-hara/) > [I wanted to create an environment in which more than just personal essays could be represented, and in which stranger approaches to making essays…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-agata/i-wanted-to-create-an-environment-in-which-more-than-just-personal/) [John D'Agata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-agata/) > [I thought that I wasn't an essayist because I just didn't see myself in a lot of the essays that were popular at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-agata/i-thought-that-i-wasn-t-an-essayist-because-i-just-didn-t-see-myself/) [John D'Agata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-agata/) > [I think that in a lot of readers' minds the essay is a lot more utilitarian than it is art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-agata/i-think-that-in-a-lot-of-readers-minds-the-essay-is-a-lot-more/) [John D'Agata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-agata/) ## More by John D'Agata > [Inclusiveness isn't what I want to push back against. The obsession with facts is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-agata/inclusiveness-isn-t-what-i-want-to-push-back-against-the-obsession/) [John D'Agata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-agata/) > [Yet there are some critics in the nonfiction world who still look at some of today's stranger interpretations of the essay and say "You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-agata/yet-there-are-some-critics-in-the-nonfiction-world-who-still-look-at/) [John D'Agata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-agata/) > [I think that in a lot of readers' minds the essay is a lot more utilitarian than it is art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-agata/i-think-that-in-a-lot-of-readers-minds-the-essay-is-a-lot-more/) [John D'Agata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-agata/) > [As frustrating as my time in grad school felt, it also helped tremendously because it challenged me to figure out what it was I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-agata/as-frustrating-as-my-time-in-grad-school-felt-it-also-helped/) [John D'Agata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-agata/) > [I'm not worried about what part of their life they needed to massage in order to achieve something that I get to experience as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-agata/i-m-not-worried-about-what-part-of-their-life-they-needed-to-massage/) [John D'Agata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-agata/) > [You create your own audience, and your own community of peers, and in some ways you create your own forebears as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-agata/you-create-your-own-audience-and-your-own-community-of-peers-and-in/) [John D'Agata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-agata/) > [Even if it's a definition that feels oppressive to us, that oppression can be inspiring because it helps us push up against something while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-agata/even-if-it-s-a-definition-that-feels-oppressive-to-us-that-oppression/) [John D'Agata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-agata/) > [I thought that I wasn't an essayist because I just didn't see myself in a lot of the essays that were popular at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-agata/i-thought-that-i-wasn-t-an-essayist-because-i-just-didn-t-see-myself/) [John D'Agata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-agata/) > [A risk is something that feels risky to the person who's taking it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-agata/a-risk-is-something-that-feels-risky-to-the-person-who-s-taking-it/) [John D'Agata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-agata/) > [You move your life across the country and make a commitment to a place, and to a genre, and then you realize that neither…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-agata/you-move-your-life-across-the-country-and-make-a-commitment-to-a/) [John D'Agata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-agata/) > [Pedagogically, we need definitions and borders. 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