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

I do think that given my background as a poet, and also I work in a different field, you're sort of neither here nor there.

Whether people like your work or not, but it's also based on a lot of other things - geography, who you happen to connect with and where they sit in that ladder - and all of that felt really isolating and disheartening to me when I figured it out.

My life in general, orderly or not, it allows me more freedom in my own writing. Sometimes I wonder, though - I have friends that sit around and just write all day. And I think it's the coolest thing.

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

I think I've always felt very isolated, and I'm sure lots of poets do.

I've always felt alone and isolated, and living on the West Coast, there's no poetry community out here, and if there is, it's really spread out - because it's LA, it's spread out.