I love that people want to know about poetry. It's one of the ways of keeping alive.

Whether the poet is living or dead, they're part of our imaginative community.

There's always some reason not to be writing and I regret the times I give in to that, because then writing feels strange - I feel like I have to reinvent the wheel. There are poets who don't have to do that.

Teaching has given me a community that cares about poetry, and I'm grateful for that.

My books have come many years apart and each one seems to reflect a period of experience. Ending the book is like putting a period on a certain movement. Interior and external - both.

Rhythms and sounds are often the first thing I hear and want in a poem, so I can't imagine trying to translate something without at least being able to hear what it sounds like.

I love that people want to know about poetry. It's one of the ways of keeping alive.