Quote:
Originally Posted by Nick McRae
I'm curious what you've learned from being a poet. Not necessarily about writing poetry itself, but it could be that. More generally, how the act of being a writer and engaging with the genre has affected you.
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This is an interesting question. (Hopefully) without descending to the usual waffle of an Grand Artistic Statement, I think that engaging with poetry has taught me, at its most basic level, another language with which to perceive and understand the world. A lot of my poetry is an attempt to capture a very particular feeling or moment in time -- the question I'm always asking myself is "what is the
essential kernel of this [whatever it is]?". And in looking for that kernel I've often found that it comes down to specificity and truth, with as much other stuff pared away as I can manage. I don't always manage well, of course. But I try.
Beyond that, on a practical level, I think it's improved my memorization abilities (I often write a poem over and over in my head long before it makes it to a page), and the whole publication process has taught me a lot about perseverance and thickened my skin.