You have to really dive deep back into yourself and get rid of so much modern analytical categorization. It's one of the great things poetry does.

If people associate me with a region, that's fine with me.

Fiction is about intimacy with characters, events, places.

Teaching writing over the years intrudes on your own writing in important ways, taking away some of the excitement of poetry.

I don't think poetry is something that can be taught. We can encourage young writers, but what you can't teach them is the very essence of poetry.

You have to really dive deep back into yourself and get rid of so much modern analytical categorization. It's one of the great things poetry does.

I encourage students to pursue an idea far enough so they can see what the cliches and stereotypes are. Only then do they begin to hit pay dirt.