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

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...

I feel very connected to poets across the country.

I feel very connected to poets across the country.

Who is the ideal reader? God only knows.

Who is the ideal reader? God only knows.

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

I tell my environmental friends that they have won. Every issue we look at from...

I tell my environmental friends that they have won. Every issue we look at from...

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...

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...

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...

A literary journal is intended to connect writer with reader; the role of the editor...

A literary journal is intended to connect writer with reader; the role of the editor...

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...

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.

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...

I sometimes like to tinker with poems that have failed, ones that I have sent...

I sometimes like to tinker with poems that have failed, ones that I have sent...

We are comfortable with the fact that we cannot know personally what happened in the...

We are comfortable with the fact that we cannot know personally what happened in the...

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.

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.