I sometimes like to tinker with poems that have failed, ones that I have sent aside. Even years afterward, I will revisit them if there is something about them that I cannot give up on.

Quote by Joe Barton

Topics: Joe Barton Quotes

The reader's challenge is to replicate the experiment by reading the poem and to draw...

The reader's challenge is to replicate the experiment by reading the poem and to draw...

I have become intrigued with the combining of seemingly unrelated ideas or images, or the...

I have become intrigued with the combining of seemingly unrelated ideas or images, or the...

You can never step into the same book twice, because you are different each time...

You can never step into the same book twice, because you are different each time...

I consider a poem to be a kind of experiment where a number of elements...

I consider a poem to be a kind of experiment where a number of elements...

My obsession with time informs my poetry so completely it is hard for me to...

My obsession with time informs my poetry so completely it is hard for me to...

I became intrigued with colour theory. The absurd pronouncements of the Colour Institute, a group...

I became intrigued with colour theory. The absurd pronouncements of the Colour Institute, a group...

Writing can sometimes be exploitative. I like to take a few steps of remove in...

Writing can sometimes be exploitative. I like to take a few steps of remove in...

Reading should be a repeat performance.

Reading should be a repeat performance.

No poem is easily grasped; so why should any reader expect fast results?

No poem is easily grasped; so why should any reader expect fast results?

Poets can't resist the dramatic pull of their lives and so inevitably write autobiographical verse.

Poets can't resist the dramatic pull of their lives and so inevitably write autobiographical verse.

I would not say I chose to write long poems on a conscious level. The...

I would not say I chose to write long poems on a conscious level. The...

Our flag honors those who have fought to protect it, and is a reminder of...

Our flag honors those who have fought to protect it, and is a reminder of...

Sometimes poetry is inspired by the conversation entered into by reading other poems.

Sometimes poetry is inspired by the conversation entered into by reading other poems.

Poets have to be sensitive to their audience, but it does not mean that they...

Poets have to be sensitive to their audience, but it does not mean that they...

The point of an experiment is not to arrive at a predetermined end point, to...

The point of an experiment is not to arrive at a predetermined end point, to...

I find it exhausting to administer a magazine without an office or paid staff.

I find it exhausting to administer a magazine without an office or paid staff.

An experienced reader uses the poem as an agent of inquiry. This makes poetry very...

An experienced reader uses the poem as an agent of inquiry. This makes poetry very...

If poetry alters the way in which the reader views the world, then it has...

If poetry alters the way in which the reader views the world, then it has...

The American flag is an enduring symbol of liberty, democracy, and justice. It is fitting...

The American flag is an enduring symbol of liberty, democracy, and justice. It is fitting...

Poetry is but another form of inquiry into the nature of phenomena, using with its...

Poetry is but another form of inquiry into the nature of phenomena, using with its...