How important is music to your poetry?
I pay quite a bit of attention to the role of sound within my poems, which may not always be euphonious, but I think creates a certain kind of music in the line. Some of the poems that I like most have bewildered me on my first reading, but I’ve been entranced by the intricacies of their sound patterns.
When you require renewal, is there a particular poem or book that you return to? A particular author?
James Longenbach has written a number of books on poetic form and technique, and I’m always energized when I read his work. He has such a fine attention for the details of poetry, such as sound and line breaks, that I come away with new ideas and appreciation for the art form.
What other poetry books have you been reading lately?
I’ve been reading a great number of poetry books lately, but one that has intrigued me a lot is Christian Wiman’s book Stolen Air, his translations of poems by Osip Mandelstam.
How did you first engage with poetry?
When I was a university student, I took a year-long poetry survey course, and I also happened to connect with a group of poets in Calgary who met weekly to share their work. This was an important combination for me: studying the history of poetry and also interacting with people for whom it was a living art.
Photo credit: Joe Tran.
What are you working on?
Right now I’m finishing up my next poetry manuscript, called Kink Bands, which uses the thematic lens of geology to explore ideas of time and family, language and environment.
