I think what gets a poem going is an initiating line. Sometimes a first line will occur, and it goes nowhere; but other times - and this, I think, is a sense you develop - I can tell that the line wants to continue.
Billy CollinsRead
I find that my reading, particularly nonfiction, can inspire a poem as well as anything else.
Interpretation
Reading can ignite creativity and inspire artistic expression.
In this quote, Billy Collins reflects on the profound impact that reading, especially nonfiction, has on his creative process. He suggests that the insights and knowledge gained from reading can serve as a catalyst for artistic expression, much like other experiences or stimuli. This highlights the interconnectedness of literature and poetry, suggesting that learning and exploration can bring forth new creative ideas.
In practice
In a speech about the importance of reading, I might say, 'As Billy Collins points out, my reading can inspire a poem as well as anything else.'
I think what gets a poem going is an initiating line. Sometimes a first line will occur, and it goes nowhere; but other times - and this, I think, is a sense you develop - I can tell that the line wants to continue.
People think of poetry as a school subject... Poetry is very frustrating to students because they don't have a taste for ambiguity, for one thing. That gives them a poetry hangover.
To a poet, it's quite ruinous to have a poem distorted, out of shape, or squeezed, shall we say, into this tiny screen. But I'm not sure big digital companies are sensitive to the needs of poets.
All they want to do is tie the poem to a chair with a rope and torture a confession out of it. They begin beating it with a hose to find out what it really means.
And the reason I am writing this on the back of a manila envelope now that they have left the train together is to tell you that when she turned to lift the large, delicate cello onto the overhead rack, I saw him looking up at her and what she was doing the way the eyes of saints are painted when they are looking up at God when he is doing something remarkable, something that identifies him as God.
The whole world of publishing is moving to electronic, but when you put a poem on a screen and you increase the type size, the shape of a poem changes.
It was the moment I learned acting is not acting out. After that light went on, I spent the rest of my life trying to figure out how to make other people realize it.
I believe in God, Mozart and Beethoven, and likewise their disciples and apostles; - I believe in the Holy Spirit and the truth of the one, indivisible Art; - I believe that this Art proceeds from God, and lives within the hearts of all illumined men.
In music, what is very important is temporality of space and length, based on the breathing space the director gives the music within the film, by separating the music from various elements of reality, like noises, dialogues... That's how you treat music properly, but it doesn't always happen this way. Music is often blamed, but it's not its fault.
My whole artistic life has always been about change, change, change, move on, move on. It's the only thing I find interesting.
Art is the triumph over chaos.
Food is about making an interaction with ingredients. If you talk to them, they will always tell you a story.
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