Poetry is not easy. Or should I say, real poetry is not easy.
Robert PinskyRead
New Jersey is the most poetic state: close enough to New York to be urban and cosmopolitan, far enough to be desirous and unsure; densely populated, but full of farms and woods, with the most deer of any state.
Interpretation
The quote reflects the unique and contrasting characteristics of New Jersey, highlighting its blend of urban and natural beauty.
In this quote, Robert Pinsky celebrates New Jersey's dual identity as both an urban and rural state. He points out that its proximity to New York City gives it a cosmopolitan flair, yet it retains an allure of quietness and uncertainty found in its rural landscapes, filled with farms and woods. This contrast evokes a sense of poetic beauty, revealing the complexities of living in a state that encompasses both vibrant city life and serene nature.
In practice
During a presentation about the diverse culture of New Jersey.
Poetry is not easy. Or should I say, real poetry is not easy.
The medium of poetry is a human body: the column of air inside the chest, shaped into signifying sounds in the larynx and the mouth. In this sense, poetry is just as physical or bodily an art as dancing.
Poetry is the most bodily of the arts.
Sometimes the ideas that mean the most to you will feel true long before you can quite formulate them or justify them.
For a lot of people, well-meaning teaching has made poetry seem arcane, difficult, a kind of brown-knotting medicine that might be good for you but doesn't taste so good. So I tried to make a collection of poetry that would be fun. And that would bring out poetry as an art, rather than the challenge to say smart things.
'Write' is almost the wrong verb for what I do. I think 'compose' is more accurate because you're trying to make the sounds in your mind and in your voice. So I compose while I'm driving or in the shower.
I always try and come up with a clear theme when I'm making a videogame.
The first thing I did with my very first camera was climb Mt. Fuji. Climbing Mt. Fuji is a lesson in determination and moderation. It would be fair to ask if I took the moderation part to heart. But it certainly was a lesson in respecting your camera. If I was going to live with this thing, I was going to have to think about what that meant. There were not going to be any pictures without it.
An artist worthy of the name should express all the truth of nature, not only the exterior truth, but also, and above all, the inner truth.
Your writing", she said to me, "it's so raw. It's like a sledgehammer, and yet it has humor and tenderness. . . .
Acting is my calling, not my career.
I'm a songwriter, and people will tell you the greatest stories about their lives, whether you want to hear it or not.
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