If the poem is so moving that even if you have no experience in that particular setting be it 1920's Harlem let's say. You still are so moved that you can put yourself in that position. That means that the writer has managed to go beyond the personal and touch the humanity in all of us and it's really a blast to read it because I realize how that this does hold true for the truly great poems.

If they don't read, if they don't love reading; if they don't find themselves compulsively reading, I don't think they're really a writer

We should always do something that makes us feel like a child again. Keep learning, no matter what it is.

I see a resurgence of interest in poetry. I am less optimistic about the prospects for the arts when it comes to federal funding.

Creative writing and literacy go hand and hand.

There are distinct duties of a poet laureate. I plan a reading series at the Library of Congress and advise the librarian. The rest is how I want to promote poetry

There are times in life when, instead of complaining, you do something about your complaints.