Home / Quotes / Quote by Anne Waldman

Quote by Anne Waldman

“You really felt a radical shift in the advance of a poetics that had really been engendered by [Walt] Whitman. This was very exciting. I wanted to work in this environment.”

Author

Anne Waldman

Anne Waldman, born on April 2, 1945, is an American poet known for her strong personal style and her focus on social and political issues. She is a prominent figure in the Beat Generation and the post-Beat Generation, and her poetry blends the form of free verse with radical political stances. more

“When I got back to NY had the opportunity to work with the beginning years of the poetry project which was founded with money from the OEO under Lyndon Johnson to work with alienated youth on the lower East side. This was extraordinary, to be able to help then to create a culture that would capture the energy that I felt at Berkley.”

Years Helping Able Culture Opportunity Energy Felt Sides Youth Projects Extraordinary East Capture Johnson East Side

Author:Anne Waldman

“I took my vow to poetry; this is where I'm going to be. These are my people; this is my tribe. This is where I'm going to put my energy.”

People Energy Tribes Vow

Author:Anne Waldman

“The beat literary movement is strong because of those very challenging and individual relationships and styles and contention and so on. So I just feel blessed by this kind of opportunity that came from it. It was a kind of seed.”

Feels Kind Opportunity Individual Strong Challenges Style Movement Beats Blessed Seeds Contention

Author:Anne Waldman

“I think of my father growing up in South Jersey, the son of second-generation German immigrant glassblowers. The opportunities for him of feeling that aspiration, that yearning, get out of the small town, connect to a larger world, get yourself to New York, wanting to play the piano at every opportunity, bonding with people who were on a similar path, ending up in Provincetown, which was kind of nexus for nonconformity, and artistic dropout reality.”