I made myself into a poet because it was the first thing I really loved. It was an act of will.
Eileen MylesRead
If the poetry world celebrate its female stars at the true level of their productivity and influence, poetry would wind up being a largely female world, and the men would leave.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the significant contribution of women in poetry and suggests that recognition could shift the dynamics of the poetry world.
Eileen Myles emphasizes the idea that if women's contributions to poetry were genuinely celebrated and acknowledged, the landscape of the poetry world would transform to reflect their influence and productivity. This observation points out not only the gender disparity in recognition but also poses a provocative scenario where men might retreat if women's voices dominate the field, challenging societal norms around authorship and appreciation in the arts.
Themes
PoetryWomenRecognitionInfluenceGenderCreativity
In practice
Example use cases
During a literature festival celebrating female authors, this quote could be shared to emphasize the importance of recognizing women's contributions.
More from Eileen Myles
All quotes →The poet’s life is just so much crenellated waste, nights and days whipping swiftly or laboriously past the cinematic window. We’re hunched and weaving over the keys of our green our grey or pink blue manual typewriter maybe a darker stone cold thoritative selectric with its orgasmic expectant hum and us popping pills and laughing over what you or I just wrote, wondering if that line means insult or sex. Or both. Usually both.
Eileen MylesRead
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