When we're writing anything, we're bearing witness to the time we live in and how it's different from any other time in history.

Poetry is one of the most full ways of discovering what it feels like to be a human being in this particular moment, in this particular set of concerns. It's all about discovery.

I'm really interested in culture because it is such a powerful human force, particularly in America where we think it's all about the individual.

For me teaching has provided community and livelihood and the satisfaction of passing along what I've learned to others.

I'm interested in thinking about how are we contributing to the culture, what we can write that might help us deepen the culture, make us more reflective, make us more empathetic, make us feel our connectedness in other ways.

One needs to be on guard against expecting external powers to decide when you can take yourself seriously as an artist. It can be a long wait - and lead to endless appetite.

Bringing science into poetry is one way of acknowledging some of the richest stuff that is in my cultural moment.