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Gerald Stern Biography

Gerald Stern (born February 22, 1925) is an American poet, essayist and educator. The author of twenty collections of poetry and four books of essays, Stern has taught literature and creative writing at Temple University, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Raritan Valley Community College, and Iowa Writers' Workshop. Since 2009, Stern has been distinguished poet-in-residence and a member of the faculty of Drew University's graduate programme for a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in poetry.

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Gerald Stern Quotes

It's a kind of liberation to break free in language, if you can break free, but it's also a confinement, because form confines you - whatever the form.

Break, Confinement, Confines, Kind, Language

Attachment has to do with suffering, so it's really close to Buddhism, because Buddhism wants to relieve you from suffering; you're supposed to escape from suffering.

Attachment, Buddhism, Escape, Suffering

In America it's a particular problem. The artist, particularly the poet, is just unacknowledged; if I can use that dumb word. Maybe it has always been that way. Maybe the only way he or she can be acknowledged is to be connected with some movement, be it religious or political.

Acknowledged, America, Artist, Poet, Religious

I floundered in my twenties. Though I wore a long scarf. And when I got to be thirty I got a job at Temple University in Philadelphia. I worked there for seven years, and I finally got fired, mostly for political reasons.

Jobs, Long, Philadelphia, Reasons, Twenties, Years

If the Buddhist's job is to be detached, I think that the artist's job is to be both detached and attached.

Artist, Attached, Buddhist, Detached, Jobs, Think

Oppressed persons, oppressed cultures, tend to be more political, obviously, as are those with a rage for justice, or the crazy messianic desire.

Crazy, Justice, Messianic, Oppressed, Political, Rage

You could be attached to merely a description of a plant or a flower. Or a narrative of an event. Or rage at injustice. Isaiah and the other Hebrew prophets, in their rage, were being altogether attached - not at all detached, although as I think of the word "detachment," I also think of a sheet of paper, loose from its notebook, fluttering around somewhere in the wind trying to find its home again.

Flower, Home, Isaiah, Notebook, Sheet

The act of writing itself isn't outrageous. And the institution subtly and insidiously works on you in such a way that though you seem to have freedom you become a servant. Your main issue is to get promoted to the next thing. Or get invited to a picnic. Or get tenure. Or get laid.

Insidiously, Issues, Picnics, Subtly, Way, Writing

It's just that very few poets disturb the peace to any degree.

Degree, Degrees, Disturb, Peace, Poet, Poets

There are hundreds of prisons - sexual, political, cultural. But being a prisoner also gives you impetus.

Giving, Impetus, Political, Prison, Prisoner, Sexual

Oppressed cultures often envy those which are not, or oppressed individuals do, and sometimes those which - and who - are not envy those which - who - are.

Culture, Cultures, Envy, Individuals, Oppressed, Sometimes

The artist looks for a subject. You know, a lot of new poets don't seem to have a subject. I don't totally understand that.

Artist, Looks, Poet, Subject, Understand

Sometimes a person thinks he's attached to one thing and he's really attached to something else.

Attached, Persons, Sometimes, Thing, Thinking, Thinks

I've changed over my writing life. If I can generalize, I would say that the more recent poems - believe it or not - are more pointedly political; although, if the earlier poems were more existential, they were still political; though, in their own way, had a complicated presence.

Believe, Changed, Existential, Political, Writing

I've been active in a minor way compared to professional activists. I was a labor leader. I led two labor strikes. I've manipulated boards. I've led marches. I've done many things.

Active, Boards, Leader, Two

Political means so many things. We are political willy-nilly. Political poetry is an easy invitation to disaster. But then so is love poetry. But we are a little more patient with bad love poetry.

Easy, Littles, Mean, Political, Things

For the Christian mystics, detachment meant to leave attachment so that God could enter you and take over completely and you could climb the ladder to their heaven. Kind of crazy, but what the hell?

Attachment, Christian, Crazy, Enter, Meant

Men aren't called pricks, but women are called cunts.

Cunts, Men, Pricks, Women

All of a sudden I understand why I like Aliki Barnstones poems so much. They remind me of the one she has studied most - shall we call her her master - Emily Dickinson. Not in the forms, not, as such, in the music, and not in the references; but in that weird intimacy, that eerie closeness, that absolute confession of soul. . . . In Barnstone, too, the two worlds are intensely present, and the voice moves back and forth between them. She has the rare art of distance and closeness. It gives her her fine music, her wisdom, her form. She is a fine poet.

Art, Distance, Forth, Moving, References, Studied

Maybe being an artist is a kind of detachment. You're in the cave, you're isolated, you're apart from everything and it's there you can find out what you believe in, or what is - what is the nature of being, as you see it.

Artist, Believe, Caves, Detachment, Isolated, Nature

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