Are you making an argument or a metaphor? Is this poetry or philosophy?
Neither and both. Are you saying I have to choose? I thought this was a creative writing class.
I call it creative reading.
Do poets read theory differently than theorists read poetry?
Our purposes are different.
Do you read theory?
Of course, but to no theoretical end.
How?
I am not looking to figure anything out.
Why then?
Why else? For material. For art making.
***
Adapted from a portion of “Poetry, Community, Movement: A Conversation” between Charles Bernstein, Ann Lauterbach, Jonathan Monroe and Bob Perelman, which appeared in Diacritics vol. 26, no. 3/ 4 (Fall/ Winter 1996), accessed on JSTOR.