What poets changed the way you thought about writing?
I had a mentor named Dobbie Reese Norris who passed away about three years ago. I first met him at a public library’s open mic night at which he and I were the only two people pretty much every week for almost a year. At first I was embarrassed to be reading poems to just him each week, embarrassed that nobody showed up for the open mic, and I would show this by not putting all my energy into reading my poems. He pushed me on this, showing me that poetry is powerful no matter if one is reading it to an audience of thousands or to an empty room with just one old man sitting in a single chair. He taught me to read and write with as much passion and care as I could muster, for myself and for the sake of the writing first and then for the world after. This changed my relationship with writing deeply and gave me some permission to not be nervous or embarrassed or quiet in the way I engage with my own work, to always give it the emotion and energy it deserves.
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