To make explicit the connections between prior experiences and my stated goal of becoming a literary theorist, I rely on practical hands-on experiences of running a press pretty much as I wanted to do it my own way. Thus, my literary identity is already unique. But through my associations with hundreds of writers/poets over the past 30 some years actively engaged in literature and being its advocate, I have become very discriminant as to the quality and message of the works presented to me. The fact that I have been judge of various poetry contests gives me confidence that I can choose good work from the heap or the bin.
