An aspiring poet who hones his craft through hard practice experiences an unexpected setback when his younger cousin undermines his belief that skilled art-making requires time and effort.

A man tells the story of his son-in-law who used his poetry skills to make real money.

In a small town, a resident watches as the people and place change. He recounts eight seemingly disparate stories, but the town connects them all.

The young son of a grocer becomes fascinated by a peculiar customer who speaks little and only eats crackers and milk.

A woman reflects on a day — back when she was a young poet in 1972 New York City — she spent retrieving furniture to borrow from a young man about to visit his home in Chile. The man was eventually taken by the secret police, leaving the woman with his furniture for years to come.

A college professor pays a famous poet to guest lecture at his university. Although this encounter improves his professional standing, his personal life suffers as a result of the poet's behavior.

A young man who works at a shipping company comes back to a rooming home and befriends the host. He meets the host's ill husband and discovers more about the couple until he receives the news of the husband's passing.

A carpenter in the midwest struggles to connect with his son who wants to be a poet.

Upon returning to Paris after a decade-long hiatus wandering the French countryside and writing an epic, a poet encounters an enigmatic young woman who believes he is a god and wants to be his disciple,

An American writer travels to Sophia where he meets a famous poetess. He falls in love with her and her attitude.