“The poet’s job is to translate unspeakable things on to the page…”
“Poets don’t get into poetry for money, they do it for vocation – I feel like that anyway. Poets can touch hearts and minds; they can translate trauma into something people can face. Sometimes there’s a cost for the poet to do that as it takes looking at the trauma right in the face and then allowing others to bear the idea of trauma safely. That’s why I write poetry. Poems are empathy machines.
Racism is a system that keeps propagating itself. It wasn’t the bankers, millionaires or computer magnates we turned to in the crisis – it was the nurses, garbage cleaners, supermarket workers; I hope those people will be valued more.”
Words by Roger Robinson
The Purple Hermit 
“Poets don’t get into poetry for money, they do it for vocation…”
I love this part, because it doesn’t just apply to poets, but to all writers in general. Of course, I’ve written for money, but that’s my day job. When it comes to putting out work you really want to however, you should only ever be doing it for the craft. Thanks for this!
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Hi Stuart, I agree and I think it also applies to many creatives including artists. Money is often secondary and people teach or do all sorts of jobs to fund their projects.
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