Quotation of the Week: David Kirby

“All poetry begins as self-expression. But if I only write for myself, who’s going to want to read what I’ve written except me? I tell my students that, at some point, writing stops being self-expression and starts being communication, or it fails. Whether you read me or not, I’m writing for you.”

–David Kirby

Source: Kirby’s “Thirteen Things I Hate About Poetry,” in Lit from Within: Contemporary Masters on the Art & Craft of Writing, edited by Kevin Haworth and Dinty W. Moore, a book I finished reading this past weekend.

4 thoughts on “Quotation of the Week: David Kirby

  1. Great quote, Erika. This is true of all writing, of course, but a message that young poets especially need to hear. I’ve certainly found that some of my students feel that their poems, though “published” in workshop, belong only to them and no one else.

    1. Agreed, John. It’s a message with broad applicability. (By the way, I’m thrilled to see the latest on Creating Van Gogh!)

  2. M.E. Anders says:

    I always look forward to your “quotation of the week” posts. I usually print them out to post on my vision board. 🙂

    1. Erika Dreifus says:

      So glad!

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