John Barton
John Barton
conversation entered poetry
Sometimes poetry is inspired by the conversation entered into by reading other poems.
agent poetry reader uses
An experienced reader uses the poem as an agent of inquiry. This makes poetry very exciting, unstable, and interactive.
connect editor intended literary
A literary journal is intended to connect writer with reader; the role of the editor is to mediate.
people
We have to have people in the right position, we have to do something to get in straight.
poems
To me many short poems read and write like beginnings that simply whet my appetite; I want to get over that.
time
You can never step into the same book twice, because you are different each time you read it.
impose poet
The poet must decide not to impose his feelings in order to write without sentimentality.
arrive deliver disprove experiment prove reveals
The point of an experiment is not to arrive at a predetermined end point, to prove or disprove anything, but to deliver a poem that reveals much about the process taken.
four game past power running trouble
We have had trouble with the power running game the past four weeks,
engaged few readers remove respect steps
Writing can sometimes be exploitative. I like to take a few steps of remove in order to respect the privacy of the subject. If readers make the link, they have engaged with the poem.
competition patient ultimately wins
With this competition the patient ultimately wins out,
draw experiment replicate
The reader's challenge is to replicate the experiment by reading the poem and to draw their own conclusions.
handle kid surprised
We anticipated it. We were not surprised by it. We were set up to handle the fake, but the kid made a play. He is a playmaker.
combined elements experiment hope interest mostly poem pulling various
The experiment of the poem is mostly intuitive. I write the first draft, pulling in the various elements that interest me, in the hope that their being combined will lead to some kind of insight.