"The project was to use the self as an example of the world. That a singular self is valid subject matter to talk about the world.” Richard Siken
A few notes from Richard Siken at Bennington (and from a podcast interview). Thank you very much to Michael Dumanis for making this possible.
"If you are going to write the same poem over and over, since you have things you can't shake, you need to come up with techniques and strategies to complicate that reality."
"When revising a poem don't try to rub more beauty on it but ask where you are losing the reader and where are you grabbing them. You lose them when you give them a false digression."
"Multi-valent is what we are going for. You don't want the reader to have to do any work really. It is your job. It is an entertainment. You're building a roller coster. Do not throw the reader out of the car. Make it so it's inevitable and could not be misread and then when you revise try to find everywhere where the reader could get tripped up and miss what you are saying. Anywhere they could trip in the tile."
"Your poems have to go somewhere, like people talking at a bar, you don't want to just wander."
The world needs more lucidity but you guys don't need to be the ones to provide it. I want something a little more thicker and complicated."
"Give them a reason to go, give them a reason to stay and dont kick them out too early."
You are the host when youre the author and you can give the reader relief. You don't have to scream into the void and rush through, readers will give you their attention."
And a few from the podcast
"Something remained even though I couldn’t say anything."
"If anyone else can say it don't bother." Louise Glück said to him
"All you have to do is stay curious and pay attention to the world. I choose also to document but you don't have to. You make meaning out of whatever material interests you but you have to pay attention to the whole world. Like the confessional poets, the big C confessional poets, the original confessional poets, the project was to use the self as an example of the world. That a singular self is valid subject matter to talk about the world.”
The title quote is from his interview on Breaking Form which is a wonderful episode that I highly recommend.