And at least in poetry you should feel free to lie. That is, not to lie, but to imagine what you want, to follow the direction of the poem.

He served as Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress during the 1990–1991 term. Since 2005–06 he has been a professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University. Strand then studied painting under Josef Albers at Yale University where he earned a B.

He was appointed Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1990. Since 2005–06 he has been a professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University. Mark Strand (born 11 April 1934) is a Canadian-born American poet essayist and translator.