“Poetry is not a turning loose of emotion, but an escape from emotion; it is not the expression of personality, but an escape from personality. But, of course, only those who have personality and emotions know what it means to want to escape from these things.” – T.S. Eliot

For 2020’s In-Depth study, I’m challenging myself to pursue poetry for publication. Poetry has always been a huge passion of mine. My experiences with poetry impact me intensively. However, poetry, though easily immersive, is difficult to develop alone. Therefore, with the aid of a mentor, I’ll express myself through my words and undergo the progress of publication. I’m prepared to develop my poetry and reveal them for publication.

The seed of this challenge is planted long ago. Throughout my 5 years of experience with poetry, I have never let go of the barriers inside of my mind and never achieving full self-expression. With this year’s In-Depth study, I want to embrace my fears and truly express myself. Furthermore, publication is the dream of all young and ambitious poets, and it’s one that I share. I have encountered self-publication in two instances and both were wasted. Therefore, in this study, I’ll seize the opportunity and achieve my dream of poetry publication.

Currently, I’m experiencing hardship trying to find a mentor. As my topic concerns publication, I’m seeking a mentor experienced in both poetry and publication. These restrictions leave me with a limited selection pool of published poets, who are often busy or hard to reach. I have reached out to 7 poets yet none is available to be my mentor. I’m aiming to secure a mentor in the next week. If I’m unable to secure a mentor after Feb 8th, I’ll be switching my topic for this year’s study. As I’m extremely passionate about poetry, I’m hoping that this won’t be necessary.

To portray my growth, I’ll be composing a collection of poems and publishing this collection. I’m aiming to have a copy of my collection to showcase my developments. With the aid of a mentor, I’ll express myself through my poems, gain a deep understanding of the publishing industry, and expand my knowledge of poetry.

excited begin to writing my heart out,
Joanna