Yesterday, Philip Levine, poet and teacher, passed away. It's a monumental loss for the culture. He's one of the giants of American literature. And I don't mean of the present moment. I mean of as far back as our history goes, and I mean of as far into the future as that history will go.

His poetry runs through mine as part of its genetic code, and I'm proud and happy that this is so. There are many who would say the same. His teaching changed my life. There are many who would say the same.