“I often tell people to stop being afraid of writing bad poetry, or bad anything. I think that a lot of times, when people claim that they have writer's block, or that they get stuck, it's just because they're scared of writing bad things.” PeopleThinkingWritingClaimsScaredStuckBlockBad ThingsBeing AfraidWriter's Block Author:Sarah Kay
“For some reason there's this myth that creativity - [especially] in terms of creative writing - is a gift you either have, or you don't. So when people first start writing, if they write something that's not very good, or if they try and it's difficult, they go, "Oh, I guess I don't have it." That doesn't seem very fair, you have to try and you have to work at it. If we get scared of one bad poem and quit, that's not doing anybody any good.” PeopleIfsWritingTryingFirstsReasonSeemsDifficultTermCreativityCreativeFairsVery GoodScaredMythQuittingCreative Writing Author:Sarah Kay
“Our day-to-day lives are pretty chaotic. So in terms of the writing part, you have to get pretty disciplined about finding quiet moments and making sure you're making time for the art side, on top of all the time-consuming business side.” WritingArtMomentsSidesTermQuietFindingsDay To DayConsumingChaoticMaking TimeDay LifeDay To Day LifeTime ConsumingQuiet Moments Author:Sarah Kay
“I think that poetry is an act of celebration, that anytime you're writing a poem, it means that you're celebrating something, even if it's a sad poem, if it's an angry poem, a political poem or anything at all. The fact that you're taking the time and energy to pick up this thing and hold it to the light, and say, "Let's take some time to consider this," means that you've deemed it worthy enough to spend time on - which, in my opinion, is celebrating.” IfsThinkingWritingMeanEnoughFactsLightPoliticalEnergyOpinionPicksAngryWorthyCelebratePoetry IsCelebrationEnd TimesSpend TimeTime And Energy Author:Sarah Kay
“I have always thought of poetry as an act of celebration. Just by nature of writing a poem you are taking the time to dwell on whatever it is that you're writing about...you can be celebrating anger, you can be celebrating sorrow... you are spending the time to focus and observe and try to understand the various parts of being human.” WritingTryingHumansFocusSorrowVariousSpendingCelebrateCelebrationBeing Human Author:Sarah Kay
“I write poetry to figure things out. Any time I’m trying to wrap my head around something, poetry is like a puzzle-solving strategy for me.” WritingTryingFiguresStrategyPoetry IsPuzzlesWraps Author:Sarah Kay
“I write about love and family a lot, because I'm always trying to figure those things out. At different points in my life, just when I think I've finished writing about it, the dynamics shift, and then I have a whole new set of questions and worries and misunderstandings to wrestle with.” ThinkingWritingTryingDifferentWholeWorryFiguresFinishedMisunderstandingAlways TryingDynamicsLove And Family Author:Sarah Kay
“One thing that I believe is that every time I write something, I am taking the time to celebrate. Even if I am writing a sad story or an angry poem, I am still giving those stories my time and attention.” IfsGivingWritingBelieveStillsStoriesI BelieveAttentionOne ThingAngryCelebrateMy TimeSad Story Author:Sarah Kay
“Every moment I choose to write about is one I have deemed important enough to dwell inside of and share with others. I am holding this moment up to the light and saying, "Wow, will you look at that?"” WritingLooksImportantEnoughMomentsLightShareWow Author:Sarah Kay
“Thinking about writing as an act of celebration is sometimes a helpful framework for me. It allows me to prioritize what I want to call attention to and what I want others to know about me. It makes me ask: What is worth celebrating?” ThinkingKnowsWantWritingSometimesAsksAttentionCelebrateHelpfulCelebrationFrameworkPrioritize Author:Sarah Kay
“I write poetry to figure things out. It's what I use as a navigating tool in my life, so when there's something that I just can't understand, I have to "poem" my way through it. For that reason I write a lot about family, because my family confuses me and I'm always trying to figure them out. I write a lot about love, because love is continually confusing in all of its many glorious aspects.” WayWritingTryingReasonUseLove IsFiguresAspectToolsMy FamilyMy WayGloriousConfusingAlways TryingAbout Family Author:Sarah Kay
“Things that I have a hard time being able to fully grasp, sometimes writing the poem helps me work through it. Or I get to the end of the poem and I still haven't figured anything out, but at least I have a new poem out of it.” WritingStillsEndsSometimesHardHelpingAbleHavensHard TimesHelp Me Author:Sarah Kay
“I don't think I ever had a morning where I woke up and said I'm going to be a professional poet. I know I've always loved poetry, I've always loved writing poetry and I've always loved sharing poetry. I've also always known that I wanted that to somehow be a very large part of my life and I'm very fortunate that it's such a large part of my life.” ThinkingKnowsWritingSaidWantedKnownMorningPoetFortunateWriting Poetry Author:Sarah Kay
“Think it's so unfair when people think that you're not a "real artist" unless you're getting paid for it....I personally know so many poets that work a 9 to 5 in a cubicle and come home and write poetry. Their poetry is just as powerful and moving as anything that I've ever written, if not more.” PeopleIfsThinkingKnowsWritingRealHomeMovingArtistPowerfulWrittenPoetPaidPoetry IsComing HomeUnfairReal ArtistsCubicles Author:Sarah Kay
“It’s not just the adage ‘write what you know,’ it’s about gathering up all of the knowledge and experience you’ve collected up to now to help you dive into the things you don’t know.” KnowsWritingHelpingInspirationMotivationGatheringAdagesKnowledge And Experience Author:Sarah Kay
“But in Hiroshima, some people were wiped clean away, leaving only a wristwatch or a diary page. So no matter that I have inhibitions to fill all my pockets, I keep trying, hoping that one day I'll write a poem I can be proud to let sit in a museum exhibit as the only proof I existed.” PeopleWritingTryingI CanMatterLinesProudOne DayPagesCleanLeavingProofHopefulPocketsMuseumsBe ProudDiariesKeep TryingExhibitsPoignantHiroshimaInhibitions Author:Sarah Kay
