Auden said poetry makes nothing happen. But I wonder if the opposite could be true. It could make something happen.
Carol Ann DuffyRead
I have piles of poetry books in the bathroom, on the stairs, everywhere. The only way to write poetry is to read it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Reading poetry is essential for writing poetry.
Carol Ann Duffy emphasizes the importance of immersing oneself in the work of others to cultivate one's own creativity in poetry. By surrounding herself with poetry in various places, she highlights that constant exposure to poetic forms and styles nurtures the ability to write, suggesting that reading serves as a foundational practice for all writers.
Themes
PoetryReadingCreativityWritingInspiration
In practice
Example use cases
In a writer's workshop, to emphasize the importance of reading, one might quote Duffy's insight about poetry.
More from Carol Ann Duffy
All quotes βYou have me like a drawing, erased, coloured in, untitled, signed by your tongue.
Carol Ann DuffyRead
Poetry, above all is a series of intense moments Β its power is not in narrative. I'm not dealing with facts, I'm dealing_x000D_ with emotion.
Carol Ann DuffyRead
The moment of inspiration can come from memory, or language, or the imagination, or experience - anything that makes an impression forcibly enough for language to form.
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Poetry and prayer are very similar.
Carol Ann DuffyRead
I still have a feeling that I haven't written the best that I can write. I think all poets must feel this: that there is constantly something new to be discovered in the language. It's like a thrilling encounter, and you can find things.
Carol Ann DuffyRead
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