I have been told by a member of the board of one of Canada's most prominent literary magazines that a submission of mine once caused a great deal of controversy.

Quote by Joe Barton

Topics: Joe Barton Quotes

In the past, poetry came in the form of spells and chants used to effect...

In the past, poetry came in the form of spells and chants used to effect...

The community of poets I belong to is not as close as it used to...

The community of poets I belong to is not as close as it used to...

Some readers allow their prejudices to blind them. A good reader knows how to disregard...

Some readers allow their prejudices to blind them. A good reader knows how to disregard...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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?

Reading should be a repeat performance.

Reading should be a repeat performance.

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.

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...

The poet must decide not to impose his feelings in order to write without sentimentality.

The poet must decide not to impose his feelings in order to write without sentimentality.

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...

I have always been very obsessed with time. Time's passage makes us all very vulnerable...

I have always been very obsessed with time. Time's passage makes us all very vulnerable...

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.

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...

To me many short poems read and write like beginnings that simply whet my appetite;...

To me many short poems read and write like beginnings that simply whet my appetite;...

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...

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...