When we are touched by something it's as if we're being brushed by an angel's wings.

Crassly put: When I write, I am trying not to bore myself and my readers.

Nothing is too small. Nothing is too, quote-unquote, ordinary or insignificant. Those are the things that make up the measure of our days, and they're the things that sustain us. And they're the things that certainly can become worthy of poetry.

Poetry of all the forms of literature I think is the most suited for the digital age and for the shorter attention spans and all of that. It Twitters very easily, some lyric poems and it's very easy to zip a poem to someone, so that's one of the things I think is wonderful about poetry in the digital age.

Being Poet Laureate made me realize I was capable of a larger voice. There is a more public utterance I can make as a poet.

I think reading Shakespeare's plays when I was young was extremely important. He had the ability to make utter strangers come alive.

In working on a poem, I love to revise. Lots of younger poets don't enjoy this, but in the process of revision I discover things