1. What or who gives you inspiration and perspiration?

Mainly music. Bob Dylan to the Fashion but also reading other poems, mainly classic poems & new classic poems on the Academy of American Poets' website.

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

I liked astronomy since elementary school but haven't really included much in my poetry. I didn't always know I would want to write, but in college I knocked out a session of about 50 poems in a weekend. I kept some of them & had half of a chapbook.

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

I think getting a print acceptance is much more important, then again, my award ribbons aren't fluctating yet. I got some really stellar reviews of my first chapbook. The personal comments on style matter most, I think.

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

I work retail & I like seeing the variety of people who come in & out of the store. Every person has a different desire & I think this is what makes us run.

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

Randall Mann, Noah Eli Gordon, Matthea Harvey, Cate Marvin.

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

I think Best of the Net is more important. It is a more current award & although Sundress has a certain style of poem they are looking for they are fresh to read. I think Best of the Web, although, has something really special brewing in their Dzanc release.

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

I read Matthea Harvey's poems here & there but it wasn't until I read Strawberry on the Drawbridge that I knew something special was really really there. As for starting writing, probably Gregory Corso's Marriage.

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?

This is a dull answer but I like a mix of both. I think print magazines like Ploughshares & Poetry Magazine, Pebble Lake Review, which display samples of their work are best. There is still a certain quality (both aspects of the word) which print magazines maintain. It is difficult, I think, for online magazines to replicate this exact quality.

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

Hopefully, with another collection of poems. I have another chapbook coming out on Maverick Duck Press which is nifty. I have another full length up my sleeve somewhere. Perfect bound would be ideal for that.

10. What are the ingredients for a tasty poem?

One good metaphor & then smooth language. Also, an unknown step, how one got from here to there.