Poetry Critics
My name is Jeffrey Michael Miller and my book entitled " From
The Inside Out " is my first collection of poetry that's been
published through Publishamerica. The book is doing well and
even though this is my first book I've been writing poetry for
quite some time. I care about the art and how the art effects
people.
I want to talk some about how poetry is seen in my opinion and
how narrow the view of some can be when it comes to poetry and
the worth and value it holds in society. I've heard many times
by reviewers and critics and even booksellers that poetry books
are hard to sell and that little interest is taken in the art of
poetry by the general public but I beg to differ on these views
held by so many in the literary world.
I feel poetry is such a unique and expressive art that has stood
the test of time and as we look back on poets like Wordsworth
and Dickinson and all the wonderful poets of a time gone by we
can all agree that nobody can discount or dismiss the
contributions these people have made to the literary world.
The Wordsworth's and Lord Byron's are still out there today
working hard to bring back into the mainstream the powerful
emotions and feelings that once struck a chord so long ago.
These people are putting their heart and soul into their words
and putting forth messages that they want to share with readers
from all origins and backgrounds.
We should not put limitations on them by telling them their art
is dead or that their art is not much of a selling point in
society because it is and if it wasn't we would not have so many
poetry forums and websites accross the infinite space of the
internet from nation to nation. One website I visited has over
five million poets in their database alone so obviously their is
an interest in poetry and it's growing bigger with every passing
day. Multitudes of people from accross the globe enjoy this art
we call poetry and this is a fact that should not be ignored.
There is also a problem in my view with some people who take the
role of critic and these people judge the work of others and
seek to influence how an individual chooses to express
themselves through poetry. I feel that each person and
expression is unique and I have never been much of a fan of the
critic as Teddy Roosevelt reminded us in " The Battle of Life "
it's not the critic that counts and I agree.
Individualism and uniqueness spawns genius in my opinion in
every facet of life or work and it's also certainly true when it
comes to poetry. I want to read new and freshly presented
material from someone original. I don't want to see someone
trying to copy another artist or his or her ways. I want to see
someone expressing their own ways that I will not judge because
I feel I have no rightful place in doing so.
We must remember that it's not my opinion or the opinion of a
critic that counts when it comes to you and your work and the
feelings you wish to present. These things are yours and yours
alone that nobody should touch or try to fine tune in any
fashion. If Shakespeare had allowed his work to be sorted out
and played with by the masses then he would not have been the
Shakespeare we know today and your work will not be yours if you
allow it to be changed to fit the views of others.
Let your vision and your work live and die on it's own and let
it live independantly and develop into what you wish it to be
not what someone else wants it to be so it never ceases to be
your very own.