My self-editing process is intense.

The greatest thing about these contests, in my experience, is that they keep a lot of poor writing out of the overburdened journals' slush piles.

This isn't TV. It doesn't have to give itself up entirely on the first read. There should still be a variety of levels and multiplicity of meaning.

Prizes seem like a great resource for new poets and writers to judge themselves against their peers, but of course, they aren't judging themselves.

I started writing The Hunter in April of 2001, just as CBL was coming out.

Well, we all start thinking we're going to be Romantic rock stars, but then reality hits and you realize no one reads you but other poets.

I am still interested in the long or serial poem, but have written a few smaller things. I may start sending to journals again in a year or so... that's about it.

Then I discovered I loved writing poetry more than fiction.

New York was breaking my concentration and disintegrating my thoughts.

I'm not interested in being easy anymore. Readable, yes. Easy, no.