1. What or who gives you inspiration and perspiration?

I love a challenge. It gets me all fired up. This is why I like to take on and incorporate cruelness, one of the most hateful human conditions, into my poetry. Whether this cruelness is aimed at something or someone else, or even myself, it continues to drive me. To take something ugly and somehow find that desired beauty within it, is a challenge I will never tire from. Words that inspire me have bite. They cling to me, begging to be ripped out and formed on the page. Sometimes I crush them, sometimes I handle them as the thinnest pieces of glass. No matter, this battle is what keeps me going.

2. Have you always wanted to write, or did you have a secret desire for something else, like spelunking?

I had always had a natural relationship with writing. It came easily to me when I was young. It wasn't until my college years that I realized I wanted to take it seriously and have it become a major part of my life. I had entertained many other unfitting occupations such as photographer, rock star, the seventh cast member of "Friends." Nothing ever seemed to fit quite right. I gave up the good fight of having a stable and reliable job my second year of college, much to my mother's dismay. English major it is!

3. Do awards and accolades make you swoon? Have there been any that you're particularly swoon-y about that you've gotten?

Awards and accolades might make me swoon if I ever win some. But I have a feeling I would enjoy the after party more.

4. When you're not leaving your poetic footprint, what else in the world makes you warm and fuzzy?

I co-edit a confessional literary journal called Upthestaircase.org.* It's my pride and joy, my part-time job, and my baby. Nothing else has ever given me such satisfaction outside of the bedroom.

*shameless plug.


5. Give me names. Who are the best new poets, in your opinion?

I'm addicted to confessional poetry. It can be elegant and sensual, as well as brutal and unforgiving. I am dear friends with one of the best confessional poets on the market today, Stephanie Anderson. Her writing is not only unique, but it also inspires me and keeps me writing. Two other wonderful confessional poets to take note of are Sophia Argyris and Renata McCormish. These two remarkable writers continue to astonish me and somehow allow me to fall in love with poetry all over again.

6. Best of the Net or Pushcart? Which matters more and why?

Although a Pushcart prize is nothing to sneeze at, I feel that Best of the Net stays truer to the path that contemporary writing is on.

7. Then and now. What poem made you start writing and what poem do you absolutely love right this very moment?

I had been writing heaps of meaningless drivel for years until I came across the poem, "Elm," by Sylvia Plath. Plath may not be the freshest choice for this questionnaire, but the way she gives herself to her writing can not be denied. No, reading "Elm" wasn't the beginning of my writing, but it helped me learn that poetry is a fine line between fragility and strength. I remember sitting for awhile after reading it and realizing for the first time what poetry was all about. It's a sacrifice. It inspired me to dig a little deeper, to take heed of the craft and art of poetry, and to be more honest with myself.

Bella Akhmadulina rocks! I'm currently reading her poem "Winter," translated by Barbara Einzig.

"To be equal to a winter day
with its empty oval,
always to be within
its slightness of curve."

8. Are online poetry 'zines a crushing blow to traditional print 'zines, or are they the meat and potatoes of the poetry world now? Also, which do you prefer?

I enjoy both, but have been leaning more towards online publishing lately. Online 'zines tend to have the satisfying and more immediate result for their writers. However, there is still nothing quite like opening a book and seeing your work on the pages. I hope that the two can co-exist, but I think online 'zines will one day conquer the world.


9. Where do you see yourself and your poems in five years?

I imagine that I will be doing much of the same thing as I am today, but hopefully I will still be growing as a writer, continuing to push the bar, and being experimental.

As for me I hope to be finishing grad school and focusing on creative writing...in a bigger place than Minot, North Dakota.

10. What are the ingredients for a tasty poem?

The best poems couple ordinary words together in a way that has never been seen/heard before. I like my poems crisp in their originality and depth. They should make me intake my breath and bend at the waist. Give me imagery and metaphor, damnit!

A splash or two of wine never hurts either.