Writing with Integrity

What stories are ours to tell?

The Atlantic’s response to a young white male poet contemplating hanging up his pen because of these categories in which he finds himself makes the fine point that guilt is never a good reason to stop making and sharing one’s art.

Yet a fresh spate of plagiarism allegations in the poetry world, combined with the recent furore over racially transgressive conceptual poetry, has me contemplating authenticity, integrity, and the implications of what we write.

I dig into all of this in a new article for HuffPost Books.

For me personally, it comes down to this:

  • Write what is yours to write
  • Credit your sources
  • Engage both heart and mind
  • Consider the wider implications
  • And, as Ezra Pound said, “Make it new!”

I welcome your thoughts and comments on the article.