Blake has always been a favorite, the lyrics, not so much the prophetic books, but I suppose Yeats influenced me more as a young poet, and the American, Robert Frost.

There comes a time when you have to trust your own judgment, when you must close your eyes and let your instinct rule you.

I did know Ted Hughes and I partly wrote the book to explain to myself and others the complexities of a marriage that was for six years wonderfully productive of poetry and then ended in tragedy.

Poets should ignore most criticism and get on with making poetry.

There's no friend like someone who has known you since you were five.

I married a young Englishman in Cambridge in 1955 and have lived in Britain every since.

I think a poet, like a painter, should be a craftsperson.