Each word bears its weight, so you have to read my poems quite slowly.

There comes a time when you have to trust your own judgment, when you must close your eyes and let your instinct rule you.

I'm not really quiet or shy. Ask any of my friends! But I always ground my poetry in life itself. Poetry is an art of language, though, so I am always aware of every word's meaning, or multiple meanings.

A hobbyhorse can be a tiring ride for nonenthusiasts.

I play with language a great deal in my poems, and I enjoy that. I try to condense language, that is, I try to express complicated but I hope real emotions as simply as possible. But that doesn't mean the poems are simple, just that they are as truthful as I can make them.

A poem might be defined as thinking about feelings - about human feelings and frailties.

Peter Lucas and I live in Durham but spend a great of time in North Wales, where we have a cottage in the mountains, and in Vermont, USA, with my sister - who is a children's writer married to a poet.