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I find that my reading, particularly nonfiction, can inspire a poem as well as anything else.

Writers must... take care of the sensibility that houses the possibility of poems.

I think poetry is the only domain where a writer you like can truly be said to influence you, because you read and reread a poem so many times that it simply drills itself into your head.

I'm uncomfortable with the focus on the poet and not on the poem.

So much inspires me. People living their lives with courage, beauty of all kinds, nature in all its aspects, people I love and people I hardly know, and, of course, other poets.

All poetry has to do is to make a strong communication. All the poet has to do is listen. The poet is not an important fellow. There will also be another poet.

I'm a failed poet. Reading poetry helps me to see the world differently, and I try to infuse my prose with figurative language, which goes against the trend in fiction.

Inspiration is a farce that poets have invented to give themselves importance.

The poet is someone, I think, who's interested in registering experience immediately or giving you the sense of immediacy and directness.

The commitment to working at poetry is important because a poet is a maker, and a poem is a made thing. We have to honor our feelings by working to transform them into something meaningful and lasting.