What a thrill it is to have my writing recognized by an institution as admirable and vital as the National Endowment for the Arts.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
I'd like my writing to be recognized with a Grammy.
It's the combination of the intimate and the public that I find so exciting about being poet laureate.
Exposure to the arts and culture is enormously valuable.
It's pretty exciting. An honorary doctorate of the arts. It doesn't get any better.
People write me from all over the country, asking me, and sometimes even telling me, what they think a poet laureate should do. I found that immensely valuable.
I'm very happy to hear that my work inspires writers and painters. It's the most beautiful compliment, the greatest reward. Art should always be an exchange.
Write because you love the art and the discipline, not because you're looking to sell something.
Honorary degrees and lifetime achievement awards are very encouraging. I know that it might sound strange that a writer who has published many books still needs encouragement, but this is true.
I'd like, each time out as a writer, to reinvent who I am and what I'm doing. That's one of the great pleasures and rewards of the occupation.
Awards for arts, where you make comparisons, don't make much sense.