I write what's given me to write.

quote by Philip Levine
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My temperament is not geared to that of a novelist.

quote by Philip Levine
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But I'm too old to be written about as a young poet.

quote by Philip Levine
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I'm seventy-one now, so it's hard to imagine a dramatic change.

quote by Philip Levine
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I listen to jazz about three hours a day. I love Louis Armstrong.

quote by Philip Levine
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My father died when I was five, but I grew up in a strong family.

quote by Philip Levine
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Back then, I couldn't have left a poem a year and gone back to it.

quote by Philip Levine
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I was very lucky to have a mother who encouraged me to become a poet.

quote by Philip Levine
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I started listening to music when I wrote when I had three sons at home.

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But most commonly, it's one poem that I work on with a lot of intensity.

quote by Philip Levine
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