But most commonly, it's one poem that I work on with a lot of intensity.
Philip LevineRead
Meet some people who care about poetry the way you do. You'll have that readership. Keep going until you know you're doing work that's worthy. And then see what happens. That's my advice.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Surround yourself with like-minded individuals who share your passion for poetry, and persist in your craft until you create meaningful work.
In this quote, Philip Levine emphasizes the importance of connecting with others who share your love for poetry. He advises poets to strive for authenticity and quality in their own work, encouraging them to continue honing their craft until they produce pieces that they can be proud of, regardless of the external validation they may receive. Ultimately, this approach may lead to unexpected success and appreciation for their art.
Themes
PoetryPassionAuthenticityCraftReadership
In practice
Example use cases
A mentor sharing these words with a budding poet at a workshop.
More from Philip Levine
All quotes →I'm afraid we live at the mercy of a power, maybe a God, without mercy. And yet we find it, as I have, from others.
Philip LevineRead
It's ironic that while I was a worker in Detroit, which I left when I was twenty six, my sense was that the thing that's going to stop me from being a poet is the fact that I'm doing this crummy work.
Philip LevineRead
If that voice that you created that is most alive in the poem isn't carried throughout the whole poem, then I destroy where it's not there, and I reconstruct it so that that voice is the dominant voice in the poem.
Philip LevineRead
I'm saying look, here they come, pay attention. Let your eyes transform what appears ordinary, commonplace, into what it is, a moment in time, an observed fragment of eternity.
Philip LevineRead
Now I think poetry will save nothing from oblivion, but I keep writing about the ordinary because for me it's the home of the extraordinary, the only home.
Philip LevineRead
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