My heroes are people like Philip Levine, who is simply like a god to me, as a writer. And he is a very good man, too.

The best defense is a good story.

I can't imagine having the courage to ask a publisher to do a whole book of my poems.

What to know about pain is how little we do to deserve it, how simple it is to give, how hard to lose.

Let's look at what the books are that are being produced. More and more they are being made like movies. To sell. They are being tested out.

I read a lot of poetry. I read some history.

First-book novelists and storywriters haven't yet failed and so it's easier to publish them - you can gamble on a success. Whereas someone who has written four books that are highly literary and demanding and require you as a reader. They may not be republished.