Poets can't resist the dramatic pull of their lives and so inevitably write autobiographical verse.

quote by John Barton
Added by Lucian Velea
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A literary journal is intended to connect writer with reader; the role of the editor is to mediate.

quote by John Barton
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The reader's challenge is to replicate the experiment by reading the poem and to draw their own conclusions.

quote by John Barton
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To me many short poems read and write like beginnings that simply whet my appetite; I want to get over that.

quote by John Barton
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I would not say I chose to write long poems on a conscious level. The long poem has been a relative constant.

quote by John Barton
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Some readers allow their prejudices to blind them. A good reader knows how to disregard inappropriate responses.

quote by John Barton
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Poetry is but another form of inquiry into the nature of phenomena, using with its own unique procedures and tools.

quote by John Barton
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An experienced reader uses the poem as an agent of inquiry. This makes poetry very exciting, unstable, and interactive.

quote by John Barton
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Most victims of my autobiographical verse are either far too polite, remarkably understanding unaware that I have written poems about them.

quote by John Barton
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The community of poets I belong to is not as close as it used to be, if only for the fact that our lives have become busier: jobs, children, and the like.

quote by John Barton
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