In social terms the identification of poet with teacher is now complete. The first question one poet now asks another upon being introduced is "Where do you teach?" The problem is not that poets teach. The campus is not a bad place for a poet to work. It's just a bad place for all poets to work. Society suffers by losing the imagination and vitality that poets brought to public culture. Poetry suffers when literary standards are forced to conform with institutional ones.


Essays - Can Poetry Matter? (1991)

Dana Gioia Quotes

In social terms the identification of poet with teacher is now complete. The first question one poet now asks another upon being introduced is Where...

In social terms the identification of poet with teacher is now complete. The first question one poet now asks another upon being introduced is Where...

In social terms the identification of poet with teacher is now complete. The first question one poet now asks another upon being introduced is Where...

In social terms the identification of poet with teacher is now complete. The first question one poet now asks another upon being introduced is Where...