I think there is a great difference, in that when the poet is reading you get the whole personality of the person, especially if he's a good reader. Whereas a person just sitting gets what he puts into it. James Laughlin differencegoodgreat share on social
I think most people read and re-read the things that they have liked. That's certainly true in my case. I re-read Pound a great deal, I re-read Williams, I re-read Thomas, I re-read the people whom I cam to love when I was at what you might call a formative stage. James Laughlin callcamcase share on social
I think there's no excuse for the American poetry reader not knowing a good deal about what is going on in the rest of the world. James Laughlin americandealexcuse Change image and share on social
I think that is where poetry reading becomes such an individual thing. I mean I have friend who like poets who just don't say anything to me at all, I mean they seem to me rather ordinary and pedestrian. James Laughlin friendindividualordinary share on social
I think we will always have the impulse towards visual poetry with us, and I wouldn't agree with Bly that it's a bad thing. It depends on the ability of the individual poet to do it well, and to make a shape which is interesting enough to hold your attention. James Laughlin abilityagreeattention share on social
Every now and then, I strike something that just goes click, you know, in my head. As Gertrude Stein used to say, it rings the bell, and I feel, this is great. James Laughlin bellclickfeel Change image and share on social
I think that concrete poetry seems to have, as far as I can see, come to a kind of a dead end. It doesn't seem to be going any further than it went in its high period of about five or six years ago. James Laughlin agoconcretedead Change image and share on social
Of course a poem is a two-way street. No poem is any good if it doesn't suggest to the reader things from his own mind and recollection that he will read into it, and will add to what the poet has suggested. But I do think poetry readings are very important. James Laughlin addgoodimportant share on social
We do very little re-writing in the office. We often take on people who show great promise and who we hope will develop into somebody important and someone good. James Laughlin developgoodgreat Change image and share on social
Then, of course, there are those sad occasions when a poet or a writer has not grown, and one has to let them go because they're just not making headway. But we have a very clear personal relationship with the authors. James Laughlin authorcleargrow share on social