Writing directly from a feeling of anger or sadness is difficult, but if you distract part of your brain with word games, the ignored emotion often tiptoes in.

I think of poetry as a very inclusive term. Still, it's interesting that people want to make the distinction. I love the magazine Double Room for that reason (contributors have to write about their ideas on the prose poem/flash fiction).

There isn't a grand plan at work in the progression of the books with respect to the line. I do want the books to be different from each other, certainly, but I'm more aware of that on the level of theme or structure. I can tell when I'm writing the last of a particular type of poem because the writing is too easy and I start to feel queasy.

I'm all over my poems, even if their relation to my everyday life is that of dream to reality.

Teaching is a great way to keep learning.

"Confessional poetry" is another one of those labels. It goes in and out of fashion.

I guess I'm a bit of a projector - my emotions tend to get translated into different, fanciful situations.