Quotation of the Week: H.L. Mencken
“There are no dull subjects. There are only dull writers.”
Source: H.L. Mencken (1880 – 1956), via Quotes4Writers
Posts Tagged‘Quotation of the Week’
Quotation of the Week: Diane Lockward
Asked to offer suggestions/advice for beginning poets, Diane Lockward recently responded:
“Have patience and persistence. Respect your tears; they are often where the poems reside. Learn the craft. Be willing to serve an apprenticeship. Read the masters to learn where you came from. Read contemporary poetry to learn what’s being done today. Buy books by other poets; that’s one way we support each other. Mark up the books and learn from them. When you ask for a critique, be sure you are not just looking for compliments; otherwise, you won’t grow as a poet.”
Source: Diane Lockward, interviewed by Nicelle Davis for The Bees’ Knees Blog.
A side note: It’s still somewhat difficult for me to address Diane by her first name, since for many years she taught English at my high school (my sister was one of her students!). But it has been lovely to refind her in the world of poets and poetry. You’ll find her blog, Blogalicious, linked to the right.
Quotation of the Week: Umberto Eco
“Every translation is a case of negotiation.”
Source: Umberto Eco, interviewed for The Paris Review
Quotation of the Week: Cate Marvin
“[S]ome of your best poems may never appear in a journal, and you have to trust your own knowledge that the poem is good despite the fact no one has ‘picked it up’ (a phrase I hate).”
Source: Cate Marvin, interviewed by Brian Brodeur for How a Poem Happens (via The Writer’s Center)
Quotation of the Week: Chang-rae Lee
“‘Sometimes students seem shy about writing about people who do the wrong thing — we’re all taught to do the right thing and focus on the right thing,’ [Chang-rae] Lee said. ‘But all of literature is about people who do the wrong thing, despite themselves. What would the story be if they did the right thing? No story at all. Fiction wants to look at all the things that go wrong.'”
Source: “Acclaimed Novelist Lee Shares Meticulous Writing Approach in Classroom” (via The Book Bench)