The writing of a poem is, for me, in the first place, an almost total act of abandon leading to discovery leading to recognition.

- Marvin Bell

I'm partial to coffee shops, brain work, and poems on the page. I write after midnight. Sometimes, twisty syntax happens, and I surrender.

- Marvin Bell

The war to preserve the privilege of mythmaking

- Marvin Bell

Sometimes the best revision of a poem is a new poem.

- Marvin Bell

Learn the rules, break the rules, make up new rules, break the new rules.

- Marvin Bell

Our job is to become more and more of what we are. The growth of a poet seems to be related to his or her becoming less and less embarrassed about mo…

- Marvin Bell

Prose is prose because of what it includes; poetry is poetry because of what it leaves out.

- Marvin Bell

Much of our lives involves the word “no.” In school we are mostly told, “Don't do it this way. Do it that way.” But art is the big yes. In art, you g…

- Marvin Bell

I speak to you in one tongue/ but every moment that ever mattered to me/ occurred in another language.

- Marvin Bell