Steve Cape: Having heard you read several times, the readings seem a lot different from the poems as they come off when I'm reading them from a book. Does the idea of oral poetry seem more immediate or real to you than printed or written poetry?
Brooks: No. In fact, you might be surprised to know I have a visual appreciation for poetry myself. I'd rather ready anybody's work than listen to it. I can get something out of listening, but you can't pick up everything. But what I try to do in reciting is to give whoever is listening an impression of how I felt when I wrote the piece. I try to paint the poem on the air.
