Morton D. Rich is an associate professor of English atMontclair State University who teaches a variety of courses in writing and contemporary literature. He is guest editor of the Spring 1999 issue o/Inquiry: Critical Thinking Across the Disciplines, an issue dedicated to autobiography and critical thinking. In the following essay, Rich describes "Why I Am Not a Painter " as O 'Hara 's definition of a poet and his or her art and discusses how the poem portrays the differences between the work of a poet and a painter.

The voice and personality of the poet, O'Hara himself, are strongly present in "Why I Am Not a Painter." He does not hide behind a persona or create a character to act in his poetic drama. It is O'Hara presenting incidents and thoughts of his daily life. They are, of course, selected thoughts and incidents, not just anything that...