This is how we do it.

I'm not going to lie to you. Reading poetry makes me write poetry, especially when I read poetry that terrifies me. I read fiction because my engine runs on novels. I have to let my brain go to the place it makes for novels. But reading poetry, and criticism about the poems I'm reading, even though it's sometimes like wearing a shirt with a thousand itchy tags...there's no better way to get me writing.

I have been a neglectful blogger. This teaching full time again, it's amazing, but I find myself prepping all of the time. In the past few years I've taught nothing but poetry workshops, two levels of undergrad, plus MFA, and this semester I have a contemporary poetry lit lecture class, and a graduate lit + theory class on Modern & Contemporary poetry, in addition to the undergrad poetry workshop. It's dreamy, but I am still slipping around a little.

Oh, then there's this. Five new poems so far this month. It's like the reading for teaching is feeding the writing. I like what I'm writing. Every time I stop not-writing I return to writing as a different writer. The poems I am writing are a little more rude, a little more about the body. Haven't written a new Risk Management Memo poem in a while, but will.

O Holy Insurgency will be out very, very soon. I can't wait to meet her.

Also, thanks to the Poetry Foundation for putting this interview up on Harriet, and to LitBridge for asking all the questions.