trait that creative geniuses often share

[milo]

It gauged public approval over anything else, which is probably the worst way to judge creativity. We know from history, at least once past the nobility sponsored days, that people who would become known universally as great artist were passed over hundreds of times until someone with vision discovered them. The public in general and publications cater to the paying public, want what is familiar, they do not want anything that will make their brain hurt. To ask about winning awards is ludicrous. I've won every contest I've entered that was anonymous, that is the judges did not know who submitted the poem, and I have never won a contest where the person's name was known. I'm not complaining or tooting my own horn (the competition was not that daunting), I'm just saying that such things are generally judge from a political point of view. Any halfway intelligent person can win a contest by playing to the judges interests, basically the same is true about getting published. I don't care if you've written the best sonnet that has ever been written, if you try to enter it in a nationally prestigious poetry magazine that never accepts formal poetry, then you will not be accepted. If you are recognized in your community as a poet, then your either a suck up, an over-praiser of the things of your community, or a sentimentalist, none of which requires much poetic talent, or knowledge of poetry. All you need be able to do is turn out some tripe on a moments notice praising your state, statehood and it's 2000ths birthday, or bring a tear to the eye because little Mary Sue, who was stricken with Polio (because her parents decided not to vaccinate her) just won the hog calling contest.
And you are right, the person reporting this, or maybe channeling this, did a piss poor job and could not in any way be call journalism.
Anyway, thanks for doing the footwork that the writer evidently didn't. I make a promise never to post an article while under the influence of fever.  

Dale      

I agree and, actually, I am glad you posted it.  One of the more enjoyable things I do is argue . . .