Writing gives me the opportunity to explore ideas, play with language, solve problems, use my imagination, and draw on my own childhood.

Otherwise I don't read much adult poetry at all, because I'm not smart enough and mostly I don't get it.

Children seem naturally drawn to poetry - it's some combination of the rhyme, rhythm, and the words themselves.

I look for poetry in English because it's the only language I read.

We all need ways to express ourselves, and poetry is one of mine.

Poetry seems to sink into us the way prose doesn't. I can still quote verses I learned when I was very young, but I have trouble remembering one line of a novel I just finished reading.

Poetry seems to sink into us the way prose doesn't. I can still quote verses I learned when I was very young, but I have trouble remembering one line of a novel I just finished reading.

Then I decided to draw from and on my own imagination, and everything came out perfect.