S. R. Evans: A few critics have dismissed my poems as not being poems and have dismissed me as not being a poet. But one principle of criticism has it that only true poets can recognize poetic creativity or function as critics of poetry -- and that the only true poets are those whose work conveys genuine poetic creativity. But I have read the work of these critics; none of it demonstrated poetic creativity. These critics' judgments should be rejected, since these critics are not true poets. The argument above is vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that it ["presupposes what it sets out to conclude, since the principle requires that only true poets can determine whether the critics' work demonstrates poetic creativity", 'makes an unjustifiable distinction, since it is possible that some critics are also poets', 'uses the distinction between poets and critics as though everyone fell into one category or the other', 'inevitably leads to the conclusion that poets can never learn to improve their poetry, since no poet is in a position to criticize his or her own work']