Leigh Stein

"For years, I've found inspiration by going to museums by myself. Going solo is key. When I'm with other people I'm always wondering whether they're having a good time, and whether I'm lingering too long in a gallery. One of the first poems I ever published was inspired by seeing Gustav Klimt's portrait of Mäda Primavesi [2] at the Metropolitan Museum of Art [3], when I was nineteen and nearly friendless in New York City. I have another poem sparked by Marc Chagall's 'The Birthday' [4] at the MoMA [5]. I love the Art Institute of Chicago [6] and the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum [7] in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I rarely ever bring a camera, but I always bring a notebook." 
—Leigh Stein, author of Dispatch From the Future (Melville Books, 2012)