Craft: Intention/Trauma

Roethke, Laing, Rich, Rodin, Kunitz, Tsvetaeva, Knight, Ignatow

Theodore Roethke:

Intention is the joining tissue in both making and editing poems. When I read people’s manuscripts with an eye toward improvements, and then improving the improvements, I am not interested in imposing my own aesthetics. I instead try to best bring out the poet’s intention.

My own intention before I write a poem is often hidden, discomfo…