Most of my writing friends are working in academia. Most of my business school friends are always talking about bringing companies public, and money, and making money, and lots and lots of money. It's just a different environment.

I've always done things that were good for me, whether they were viewed as being as prestigious or whatever.

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.

I definitely have favorite books by favorite poets, but poets' books also vary. I could like some books, but not like another book.

I'm a total bottoms-up kind of person. I like things to bubble up.

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."

I question my own talent and ability to make creative work every single day.