The poetry when I was a kid felt like something that I could control, and whether it failed or not, whether it was good or not, was totally on me and I could accept that. It was entirely mine.

And a lot of times in slam poetry I feel like people are so worried about the performance that the words might not be as strong.

I think any time you have too much education in one certain field, that can sometimes play against you

I tried not to make God this big deal in Joan's life. She treats God like a friend: she's nice to him some days, and other days mean, and then cries when she needs help.

My own personal connection with God was not in a religious sense, so I wasn't really thinking in that way when I got the role and when I started doing it.

My advice is to make acting your second career choice

People who have seen me read usually come up afterwards and invite me to be a part of something.