"I wrote poetry in a secretive way, I think, a secret from myself, I mean. I wrote it because it gave me great pleasure to do so and because it relieved the ever-building pressure of the demanding world around me. It's always served me as a way of appraising, and controlling overwhelming experiences. But this need, and desire, was always in conflict with my need to "survive.""

You may also like:

• 

  Carol Muske-Dukes
  Poet

• 

  Claudia Emerson
  Poet

• 

  Edward Hirsch
  Poet

• 

  Gerald Stern
  Poet

• 

  Marie Howe
  Poet

• 

  Natasha Trethewey
  Poet

• 

  Robert Hass
  Poet

• 

  Tracy K. Smith
  Poet

• 

  Yusef Komunyakaa
  Poet