We have a lot of long narrative poems written in the 20th century, but they're not very well known, and they're not read by very many people.

I did not have a very literary background. I came to poetry from the sciences and mathematics, and also through an interest in Japanese and Chinese poetry in translation.

I love to create interesting textures with language. You can do it as long as it seems like a discovery.

We have a lot of long narrative poems written in the 20th century, but they're not very well known, and they're not read by very many people.

One of the biggest changes that ever occurred in my life was going from the isolation of working part-time as a house painter in Henderson County, to Cornell, where everybody was a literary person.

I encourage students to pursue an idea far enough so they can see what the cliches and stereotypes are. Only then do they begin to hit pay dirt.

I tell students they will know they are getting somewhere when a scene is so painful they can just barely bring themselves to write about it. A writer has to draw blood.