When I was young, I was older than I am today.

I change jobs like drinking water ... And as I grow accustomed to the new flavor of a drink I regard as delicious, yes, vital, something fades, life balks. So I break camp; I shed skins.

I see a resurgence of interest in poetry. I am less optimistic about the prospects for the arts when it comes to federal funding.

If they don't read, if they don't love reading; if they don't find themselves compulsively reading, I don't think they're really a writer

I've always been intrigued by the way history works, the way we decide what is mentioned.

At the very beginning when I begin writing a poem I try not to think of the audience or anyone at all except for trying to get at the very center of what is driving that poem. In a way it's like analyzing myself.

There are distinct duties of a poet laureate. I plan a reading series at the Library of Congress and advise the librarian. The rest is how I want to promote poetry