News at Eleven: [Denise] Levertov thought a lot about the poet's

role in the larger culture. In her diaries, letters, and (as her fame grew) lectures and essays, she spoke about the interaction of poetry and lived experience.

Greene quotes from a 1967 lecture on the poet's responsibility:

When words penetrate deep into us they change the chemistry of the soul, of the imagination. We have no right to do that to people if we don't share the consequences.

from Patheos: Denise Levertov: A Poet's Life, Part Two
then Patheos: Denise Levertov: A Poet's Life, Part One

~~~~~~~~~~~