Prized poet Terrance Hayes tells "Parker Spitzer" what poets and politicians have in common.

Click here to read our fascinating "Off Set" interview with Hayes, plus the bonus of two of his poems!

OFF-SET: In this Parker Spitzer blog exclusive, we talk with Terrance Hayes, author of “Lighthead” (Penguin, 2010), which won the National Book Award for Poetry. Hayes was born in Columbia, South Carolina in 1971. He received a B.A. from Coker College in Hartsville, South Carolina, and an M.F.A. from the University of Pittsburgh writing program.

He has been a recipient of numerous honors and awards, including a Whiting Writers Award, a Pushcart Prize, three Best American Poetry selections, and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship and the Guggenheim Foundation. He is a professor of creative writing at Carnegie Mellon University and lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with his family.

Hayes appeared on Wednesday’s (Nov. 24) "Parker Spitzer." Read two of his poems after the jump!

On Parker Spitzer, we spend a lot of time thinking about politics and how politicians have an impact on the lives of Main Street Americans. Do most politicians intrigue or disappoint you? 

 Politicians intrigue me very much. Politicians are like artists in that we have to convince ordinary people of our value. Everyone knows art and governance are important in general, but when we are confronted with choosing artists and leaders, we look for message, integrity, insight, originality. I think it’s as difficult to find a genuine artist as it is to find a genuine leader. I think politicians fail and succeed at about the same rate as artists.  FULL POST