American poet (1945- )
In this country, land of the 24-hour news channels, it’s easy to "suffer" from news exhaustion, but for me there’s something in me that cries out when I hear about the suffering of others in these ultimately meaningless conflicts. How can I declare them meaningless when people are dying?
WALTER BARGEN
"An Interview with Walter Bargen", BkMk Press
Sometimes when a prose poem is floundering, I rewrite it as verse, and it's better in that form. The reverse process of verse into prose poem, also works to clarify what's working in the writing and what's not. It's not a blunt line that demarcates the difference between verse and the prose poem.
WALTER BARGEN
"An interview with Walter Bargen, first poet laureate of Missouri", New Letters on the Air
Imagination is a double-edged sword. You get cut both ways—bleed happily, bleed nostalgically.
WALTER BARGEN
"An Interview with Walter Bargen", BkMk Press
Basically poetry is not only something enjoyable, but a reservoir for wisdom, and a mirror that people can look into and see something in their own life.
WALTER BARGEN
Riverfront Times, September 29, 2009
When you're spontaneous, there's always the opportunity that you'll surprise yourself and discover something new.
WALTER BARGEN
Riverfront Times, September 29, 2009