Books Quote by Mary Oliver

The reading of a poem should be an experience. Its writing must be all the more so.

— Wallace Stevens

It is not enough for poems to be fine; they must charm, and draw the mind of the listener at will.

— Horace

The spiritual desire for poetry can be overwhelming, so much do I need it to experience and name my own perilous depths and vast…

— Edward Hirsch

I try to presume that no one is interested in me. And I think experience bears that out. No one's interested in the experiences…

— Billy Collins

Writing poetry is such an intense experience that it helps to start the process in a casual or wayward frame of mind.

— Edward Hirsch

I do think poetry needs to invite the reader, especially when there are so many other distractions while reading.

— David Starkey

I want the poem to be an experience - for both the listener and for myself.

— Anne Waldman

There's a fine line between writing the poem and the poem writing itself. You have to be there and not be there, too.

— David Meltzer

I'm not a poet. So the writing process is a difficult one for me.

— Billy Squier

I'm a struggling poet. I've never shown my work to anyone. I write it all for myself and I'm not interested in showing it…

— Kunal Kapoor

It takes a spasm of love to write a poem.

— Erica Jong

I think my poems immediately come out of the sensuous and emotional experiences I have.

— Sylvia Plath