As a person of color, I know race can't be stripped from admiration or preference.

In poetry, I didn't have to provide resolution. I could ask hard questions without feeling responsible for the answers.

As a general rule, I tend to collaborate with artists whose work I admire.

I recently did a reading at an elementary school in Ottawa, and one of the children asked me if I was a girl. I said yes. Another child commented that I had a deep voice. I responded: "Can girls have deep voices?" There was a pause and then the group responded, "Yes!"

Art can sometimes be separate from the artist.

As much as I believe in the capacity for art to create change, and as much as being an artist is physically and emotionally challenging, there is ultimately something a bit comfortable about making art in the comfort of your own home.

I have always considered the aesthetic of a project, including press photos, as a means to further the message of the art itself.