Anything Quote by Peter Davison

It's not a love of poetry readings that attracts those who do come to them but theater.

— A. R. Ammons

“Therefore, poets do not 'fit' into society, not because a place is denied them but because they do not take their 'places' seriously. They…

— James P. Carse

I have the feeling that a lot of poets writing now are - they sort of tap dance through it.

— Mary Oliver

When you recite you're giving a performance, in the way that an actor or a singer performs, and some poets are not interested in…

— James Arthur

Poets are shameless with their experiences: they exploit them.

— Friedrich Nietzsche

Written poetry is different. Best thing is to see it in performance first, then read it. Performance is more provocative.

— Adrian Mitchell

All the modern verse plays, they're terrible; they're mostly about the poetry. It's more important that the play is first.

— Denis Johnson

I have thought many times since that if poets when they get discouraged would blow their brains out, they could write very much better…

— Mark Twain

There's very little of the intentional about the business of writing poetry, as least as far as I can see.

— Paul Muldoon

Performance poetry is not one genre. Some chant, sing and dance. Some stand rooted to the spot and stare. Some chat their way in…

— Michael Rosen

“They're just people that write poems that get published and anthologized all over the place but they're not poets.”

— J.D. Salinger

They say poets write mostly for themselves; if anyone else likes it, well and good, if not, it doesn't matter; certainly, not to me.

— Tom Glazer