There's an attraction to emotional clusters or hypocrisies or awkwardness. A desire to expose something or point at something that's already poking out.

Sometimes people ask me to do stuff in New York, like "Can you read at this thing?" And I say, "Nooo, I can't just get on a plane with these two screaming children - I can't just get rid of them on such short notice and take vacation and fly over to New York."

As I published books, I realized, that's not really what I want. I don't care about the books as much anymore. I just want to write poetry.

My gut was always that if I taught students poetry, I would give too much of myself to them and have nothing left.

For the most part, it's a world of artists that are very in their own heads.

Sometimes I feel like I'm on top of the world, and other mornings I feel like crap.

Having children can be such a gift, but it can be a crushing experience for a certain kind of mom. And I am that certain kind of mom.