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Innumerable are the ways of experimenting
in poetry, and good poets are always pushing into
new territories, either by developing themes that obsess
them, or by working on the representation of those themes.
Research and expression are integrated activities, but poets
searching for an authentic voice may find that expression
will come by itself if the originating vision is honestly
and relentlessly pursued. To convince others and find an
audience, they will doubtless need a contemporary style,
for which they should devour the serious
magazines,
particularly the smaller
presses. Modification of what works there, followed
by soul-searching, and an individual expression shaped to
real response, should then reveal the geography of their
particular talents. Yes, a arduous journey, with long periods
of perplexity and despair, but it's often more character
than gifts that makes an artist.
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