Even the people who have had success and made money writing these books of fiction seem to feel the need to pretend it's no big deal or part of a natural progression from poetry to fiction but often it's really just about the money the perceived prestige.

And I know I'm supposed to feel guilty for wanting people to buy my books... and books in general? Novels and poetry they belong to the realm of art. How dirty of us to try to hawk art! But after a decade of hand-wringing and apologies I can't quite muster the guilt anymore.

But for me being an editor I've been an editor of all kinds of books being an editor of poetry has been the way in which I could give a crucial part of my time to what I love most.

However poetry does not live solely in books or in school anthologies.

Today the U.S. is farther from being nourished by poetry than it was a hundred years ago when books of poems were best-sellers.

All those authors there most of whom of course I've never met. That's the poetry side that's the prose side that's the fishing and miscellaneous behind me. You get an affection for books that you've enjoyed.

I have piles of poetry books in the bathroom on the stairs everywhere. The only way to write poetry is to read it.

The library was open for one hour after school let out. I hid there looking at art books and reading poetry.

I never thought I'd be doing poetry books. I never really studied poetry. But the first one I did was after my mother died and I realized that people sort of think and talk about her style and fashion but in fact what made her the person she was was really her love of reading and ideas.

When I was in the Peace Corps I never made a phone call. I was in Central Africa I didn't make a phone call for two years. I was in Uganda for another four years and I didn't make a phone call. So for six years I didn't make a phone call but I wrote letters I wrote short stories I wrote books.

A book is a fragile creature it suffers the wear of time it fears rodents the elements and clumsy hands. so the librarian protects the books not only against mankind but also against nature and devotes his life to this war with the forces of oblivion.

Where is human nature so weak as in the bookstore?

Nature and books belong to the eyes that see them.

A morning-glory at my window satisfies me more than the metaphysics of books.

Earth and sky woods and fields lakes and rivers the mountain and the sea are excellent schoolmasters and teach some of us more than we can ever learn from books.

There are certain pieces of music that are always attached to certain books.

Those who decide to use leisure as a means of mental development who love good music good books good pictures good plays good company good conversation - what are they? They are the happiest people in the world.