The process of writing a poem involves listening to the language to determine its meter, form, and whether it should be rhymed. The poet feels that they are in a partnership, a collaboration with language itself, where the language has 51% share and can outvote the poet. The poem tells the poet the shape it wants to take. Writing a poem is often about waiting for inspiration and allowing different elements to come together - an idea, an exact word, and a memory - which have a catalytic effect. The poet physically feels inspiration as a burning sensation, and when inspired, they write in a trance, often ending up with a complete mess which needs to be shaped into the desired form.
Poet and author Dana Gioia talks about his book Studying with Miss Bishop with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. They talk about the craft of being a poet, the business world, mentorship, loss, why poetry no longer seems to matter, and how it might begin to matter again.