How does your work first enter the world? Do you have a social group or writers’ group that you work ideas and poems with?
First it trots around in my head for a while. Then, when I finally write, it’s often a big dump. It just comes out, sometimes a bit chaotically. I usually write by hand to start with—into a journal that I really like (I have to really like the journal). I leave it there for a while and then go back to it, often scratching out bits and replacing them with other bits. Finally, once I have played with it enough, I type it up. And once it’s typed up, I usually send it to a poet friend I’ve been working with for about 10 years now. We comment on and critique each other’s work—and this process is so helpful. We have very different strengths—complementary in many respects, so the process is good for both of us. I have been in writers’ groups before—and they’ve always been helpful. But the greatest benefits come out of long-term synergy and not many multiple-person groups can commit to that over years.
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