Being Poet Laureate made me realize I was capable of a larger voice. There is a more public utterance I can make as a poet.

The poetry that sustains me is when I feel that, for a minute, the clouds have parted and I've seen ecstasy or something.

When we are touched by something it's as if we're being brushed by an angel's wings.

It really wasn't until I was in college when I began to write more and more, and I realized I was scheduling my entire life around my writing.

Being true to yourself really means being true to all the complexities of the human spirit.

I see a resurgence of interest in poetry. I am less optimistic about the prospects for the arts when it comes to federal funding.