Why did Emily Dickinson never used sonnets?

Answer 1

As I said elsewhere:
Because poets and writers do not write to conform to literary styles but to convey some messages in styles that they deem appropriate. Hence Emily found her strategy much better than sonnet forms to convey her messages. Form is just the cloth that covers the content. Don't you put on clothing just to make you presentable before others? The real you is inside the wrappers just like the physical body is the temple of the invisible spirit.

Answer 2

Poets will always write the way they feel, the way they think. They are not bound by metrics or symmetry or rule, they simply write. By heart and by soul. Ms Dickinson is one of the best poets of all time, and i personally love her honesty. She was always a mystery so she must have her reasons. But still, she was an effective writer sonnet or no sonnet.

Answer 3

Not everyone likes writing in such a constrictive format, like sonnets or sestinas. Some writers like having the guidelines there, while others prefer a looser free verse structure. And, that's not to say that she never wrote a sonnet. Maybe she just threw them all out!