Poems are not read: they are reread. Reread the poem, then read between the lines, then look at it, then watch it, then peek at it: handle it like an object. Contemplate its shadows, angles and dimensions. Terrance Hayes anglecontemplatedimension share on social
My working habit is to separate my aims as a painting from my aims as a poet. They come from very different places and ultimately lead me to very different places... I'll leave what I mean by 'places' ambiguous. Terrance Hayes aimambiguoushabit share on social
Poets are like the decathletes of literature. Terrance Hayes decathleteliteraturepoet Change image and share on social
While the debate over banned books usually seems to happen just outside the gates of government, it takes on a new danger and urgency when legislators get involved. Their actions cause voices to be silenced both inside and outside the books. That's un-American. Terrance Hayes actionamericanban share on social
We can't really know ourselves because we have not created ourselves. But we can know computers, we can know cars, because anything that we made, we can understand. Terrance Hayes carcomputercreate Change image and share on social
Art is not the kind of thing where you get what you put into it all the time. So I learned to not expect anything other than the sort of joy of having a poem in front of me. Terrance Hayes artexpectfront Change image and share on social
I always turn to Frank O'Hara and David Berman's 'Actual Air,' which came out in 1999. He's a poet I haven't tired of. Terrance Hayes actualairberman Change image and share on social
So the best way to understand poetry, which is made by men, is to imitate, and that goes back to making work as a kind of doorway into new work, as opposed to making work as a mirror of the old work. Terrance Hayes backdoorwayimitate Change image and share on social
When I applied for grad school, I did not specify genre. I said I wanted an MFA in Creative Writing. I was so cute and stupid! The admissions committee at Pitt decided to put me in poetry. Terrance Hayes admissionapplycommittee Change image and share on social
Anyone reading contemporary poetry - especially contemporary African-American poetry - will quickly see that race is an enduring subject. What some don't realize is just how diverse the handling of that subject is. It's as diverse as blackness. Terrance Hayes africanamericanblackness share on social
