In college I studied essays with a poet, and so I think my interpretation of the genre was always going to be a little off-kilter.

I felt a little lost as a student. At Iowa, I felt as if I had gotten into this program that was going to save me, and so I moved myself across the country for grad school and yet still didn't have a home. It was upsetting. And I know that's a common feeling.

As frustrating as my time in grad school felt, it also helped tremendously because it challenged me to figure out what it was I thought I wanted.

What I didn't realize when I was in school and what I suspect a lot of young writers today don't get either is that you have to create the world that you want to exist in as an artist.

In college I studied essays with a poet, and so I think my interpretation of the genre was always going to be a little off-kilter.

The intimate and meditative form that Plutarch became known for was completely new in his day.

Pedagogically, we need definitions and borders. They help us get our heads around what we're talking about.