“Books and newspapers assume a "common reader" that is, a person who knows the things known by other literate persons in the culture. Obviously, such assumptions are never identical from writer to writer, but they show a remarkable consistency” KnowsPersonsBookShowsCultureCommonKnownKnowledgeReaderAssumingNewspapersAssumptionRemarkableConsistencyIdentical Author:Edward Hirsch
“The attention deficit disorder of the culture is very distressing in America now and I think it puts a lot of things at risk, not just poetry.” ThinkingAmericaCultureAttentionRiskDisorderDeficitDistressingAttention Deficit Disorder Author:Edward Hirsch
“There's never been a culture without poetry in the history of the world. In every culture, in every language there is expressive play, expressive word play, there's language use to different purposes that we would call poetry.” WorldDifferentPlayUsePurposeCultureLanguageWorld HistoryExpressive Author:Edward Hirsch
“I think that the dark side of MFA programs is that they're generating more poets than the culture can absorb and there are more people writing poetry than possibly read it or can certainly earn a living around it.” PeopleThinkingWritingCultureSidesDarkPoetProgramDark SideWriting Poetry Author:Edward Hirsch
“I think the culture can absorb so many people writing poetry and trying to earn their living in poetry.” PeopleThinkingWritingTryingCultureWriting Poetry Author:Edward Hirsch
“Read poems to yourself in the middle of the night. Turn on a single lamp and read them while you're alone in an otherwise dark room or while someone else sleeps next to you. Read them when you're wide awake in the early morning, fully alert. Say them over to yourself in a place where silence reigns and the din of the culture — the constant buzzing noise that surrounds us — has momentarily stopped. These poems have come from a great distance to find you.” NightTurnsCultureNextDarkSleepRoomsSilenceMorningMiddleConstantDistanceWideNoiseAwakeSurroundReignLampsTurn-onMiddle Of The NightEarly MorningDark RoomWide Awake Book:How to Read a Poem: And Fall in Love with Poetry Source: How to Read a Poem: And Fall in Love with Poetry
“Civil religion gives American culture its direction and defines its fundamental values, but it does not determine the diversified contents of American national culture.” GivingDoeReligionValuesCultureFundamentalsDetermineAmerican CultureNational Culture Author:Edward Hirsch
