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Quote by Elaine Equi

“Sometimes you get lit students that know a lot about the canon but virtually nothing about contemporary poetry and vice versa. I like to mix things up.”

Quote by Elaine Equi

Author

Elaine Equi, born in 1953, is a talented poet whose works are renowned for their profound emotions and unique style. She is highly regarded by readers and has made significant contributions to contemporary literature. more

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“In Chicago, if you tell someone you're a writer, they look at you suspiciously - as if to say "yeah, right." In New York, people don't question the idea. If you say you're a writer, that's what you are.”

People Ifs Looks Ideas New York Yeah Chicago

Author:Elaine Equi

“I thought of New York as a free city, like one of those prewar nests of intrigue and licentiousness where exiles and lamsters and refugees found shelter in a tangle of improbable juxtapositions. I had never gotten around to changing my nationality from the one assigned me at birth, but I would have declared myself a citizen of New York City had such a stateless state existed, its flag a solid black.”

States Found Black Cities New York Birth Citizens New York City Flags Shelter Refugee Intrigue Exile Nationality Nests Improbable Juxtaposition

Author:Luc Sante

“I have a lot of respect for advertising. If I didn't teach and could go back in time, I might try and become a copywriter. I especially like print ads that combine a photo with a short caption or tag line.”

Ifs Trying Might Lines Teach Advertising Print Ads Tag Back In Time Go Back In Time Caption

Author:Elaine Equi

“When I shut off the verbal, I like to escape into the visual.”

Author:Elaine Equi

“I like to look at the interface between words and pictures and wonder about which comes first, a sort of chicken-or-egg type of question.”

Firsts Looks Wonder Type Eggs Chickens Interfaces

Author:Elaine Equi

“I can never plan out what direction my poems will take in terms of either form or content. I wish I could but it doesn't work that way for me. If I try to write something, I'd probably end up doing the opposite.”

Ifs Way Writing Trying I Can Ends Form Wish Term Plans Opposites

Author:Elaine Equi

“I don't write every day, but if I go more than a couple of months without writing, I begin to get a little nervous. I usually have bursts of poems. Five or six come together and then I slack off and want to do something else.”

Ifs Want Writing Littles Together Five Months Couple Six Nervous

Author:Elaine Equi

“In order for poetry to exist there has to be not-poetry to contrast it with.”

Author:Elaine Equi

“There are fewer and fewer philosophies that everyone subscribes to. We don't seem to have as many beliefs in common as we used to. Also, we interact much more online. We have all these gadgets to help us manage different aspects of our lives.”

Different Philosophy Helping Seems Used Belief Common Our Lives Aspect Manage Online Fewer Gadgets

Author:Elaine Equi

“In the past things were either in your head (subjective, imaginary, fantasy) or else they were part of the outside world - cold, hard, concrete materialistic reality. If you want to look at it in terms of poetry, there was surrealism and objectivism. Now there's the veil of the virtual in between. The old opposition between inner and outer doesn't quite capture it, especially as it contains elements of both. It's real but not concrete.”

Ifs World Want Looks Real Hard Reality Past Term Fantasy Cold Elements Opposition Capture Concrete Imaginary Veils Subjective Materialistic Outside World Surrealism Objectivism

Author:Elaine Equi