I think of something quite different from a snapshot. I know of a lot of poems, some very fine ones, that are like snapshots, but I'm more interested in poetry that is like an endless film, long stories, things that weave together many different strands, like a big piece of cloth, not like a photograph.
Robert BringhurstIn the native literatures of North America there aren't any novels. Instead, the major genre is myth. And myths are stories that are fundamentally about the world, not about human individuals. A myth needn't include any humans at all. If it does include them, they're usually minor characters - imaginary humans sent out like scouts to report back on what's happening in the mythworld, but not central participants in the action.
Robert BringhurstWhen you die, your culture takes you in, and then, if you've given enough, your place is near the centre.
Robert BringhurstDrop a word in the ocean of meaning and concentric ripples form. To define a single word means to try to catch those ripples. No oneโs hands are fast enough.
Robert Bringhurst