1. .

I'm also curious about the cultural references in the book -

how much of a role does research play in this, and is it
generally before or after the broad conception of the poem?
The cultural and pop references in the book are what existed inside of
me on a minute to minute basis during the writing process. The more
research driven lines of poems are knowledge I had gathered from
National Geographic or Smithsonian aga!ine or cultural references
that I"ve read about or hang in the air and have somehow permeated
me. I guess this is all a wa# of sa#ing that these were not facts and
references I went searching for because the# $t the poem% the# were
parcels of information I had gathered and found fascinating and
obsessed over while I wasn"t writing and ended up% somehow% through
the magic of the mess% re&contextuali!ed at moments where the#
seemed to take on greater import to me. These poems purged out
'uickl# and% while I revised a bit and touched things up% the# aren"t
much di(erent than when the# $rst came into the world. The other
side of that is that I have probabl# )*&+) other ,ear -orporation%
poems that are complete garbage% that are tack# or cliched or preach#
or presumptuous or totall# mean&spirited or all of those things
combined that were not good poems at all% but need to be written in
order for me to calm down% to dig deeper% to get past the obvious
feelings I was having or m# own pre&conceived notions about what I
believed.
2.. What are your plans in the future?
ost of m# da#s are taken up with teaching% which is both a constant
inspiration and a constant drag on getting an# writing done .though I
wouldn"t reall# have it an# other wa#/. # students and colleagues
and the da#&to&da# struggles of helping urge poetr# and $ction and
creative writing into the lives of people who ma# not have gotten to
experience it in a heart&driven% blood&born wa# is of vast importance
to me. 0ou have to reall# dedicate #ourself intellectuall# to be a good
teacher% and I can"t imagine stopping that an#time soon. 1s for m#
writing% m# interest is in $ction right now% but I"m sure poetr# will
come back someda# soon. I also plan to marr# m# $ance and start a
famil# and bu# a house. 0ou know% nothing big.
. Which other artists should we listen to at this moment, who
are grappling with the issue of late capitalism?
I think it"s less important to listen to artists grappling with the same
issues as #ou"ve grappled with as to open #ourself up to new art that
in2uences #our life dail# while writing. 3or me it was4 5endrick
6amar% George Saunders% -laire 7a#e 8atkins% 3orest Swords% 1dam
9ohnson% 9enni 3agan% The National% -hants% 3rightened :abbit% ,avid
itchell% argaret 1twood% 9e( 7andermeer% 3uture Islands% 6eslie
9amison% ina 6o#% :oberto ;ola<o% =theridge 5night% Titus
1ndronicus% arcel Theroux% 1pollinaire% 6ouis -5% and more. The# all
share themselves with me in a wa# that the assholes are afraid of. To
value a creative mind% a mind dedicated to the truest communication
of separated souls% a mind that lives to $nd themselves in other"s
stories and other"s lives in their own% that"s the closest thing% besides
all out rebellion% to an antidote I have to politics% corporate greed%
power hunger.