I've always loved stories of animals and birds that can appear to be human, just by taking off their skins or their feathers.

Not all animal brides are doomed. Not all men are greedy or violent or possessive.

I think happy, companionate marriages between men and women who respect each other (as far as is consistent with being actual human beings) should be every bit as poetry-worthy as angst, bitterness, and shame.

The fact that I seem to prefer seals over any other animal brides is something I hadn't actually realized until this moment. Perhaps it's because there's a lot of very cool folklore about it.

I can't rhyme for little green apples. What I can do is scan and make patterns.

I love the idea of species fluidity, I guess, the sense of the maiden inherent in the swan or seal, the youth inherent in the bear or deer. After all, human beings are animals.

Poetry, for me, conveys the essence of narrative rather than its particulars.