Interview about In a Parking Lot in New Jersey, originally conducted and published by Brilliant Books and Dunes Review 

What first inspired you to write poetry?

I was always kind of trying to write, but one thing that stands out is when a poet (I can't believe I can't remember her name) came to my school and read a poem about a man in prison who spent his time doing embroidery, and it was just really accessible and plain-spoken in a way that was totally new to me. She read a line that went something like "He saved up, took threads from socks, not for darning..." I thought that "took threads from socks" was beautiful, and that "not for darning" was such a sad way to say he was putting his art over his wellbeing. In retrospect I'm sure I'm butchering it, because why would you be taking a thread from a sock to darn it?

Can you describe for us the physical environment in which you write?

It varies a lot. I tend to write on my phone, so sometimes I'm writing in my apartment, but sometimes I'm literally somewhere like hunched over a turn-style in the subway and I'm late for a doctor's appointment and I'm like "Oh crap, why am I doing this right now?"

Do you listen to music or must you have silence while you're writing?

All things considered, I prefer silence. I'm pretty good at blocking out distractions when I'm writing, but I don't usually seek them out.

Do you let other people read your works in progress?  If so who?  How do you know when a poem is finished?

I do tend to ask my friends to read my poems, but I always feel guilty about it. Usually they're finished when I'm taking out and putting in the same punctuation over and over again.

How do you feel about sharing your writing with readers?

Weirdly, probably the worst reaction I've ever gotten from readers was the only time I publicly shared the poem that is in this current issue of Dunes Review with an audience. I think I was trying to read it very gently, because it's in some ways a very tender thing, even though it's a bit gory, and I definitely came off like a creepy doll. When I looked up everyone's faces were just like "Uh..." and there was scattered clapping. I try not to think about it. Usually I like doing readings though! That one just went... wrong.

Can you tell us about a piece you are particularly proud of ?

I wrote a short story called "How to Stay in the Whale" for decomP magazinE a little while ago. It's about a thirteen year old boy with an autonomic disability similar to the one I have, who keeps having formative interactions with marine life. I named him Brandon specifically because I'm not a huge fan of that name and I wanted to be able to find him likable and relatable anyway (sorry Brandons). It felt like putting something out there that addressed an issue I felt was important, almost like a form of advocacy, but that I was also happy with on a technical and artistic level. I was trying to write about a struggle that is particularly painful because it is alienating in its rarity, but also to connect with readers, and I think that can be hard to get right.

And what about that piece that you're least proud of?

Oh God, I was invited to this photoshoot once that my friend was directing, and I was sitting in a corner doing some work at first, and I decided to write a poem about the model. It was about the kind of ritualistic aspects of a photoshoot and especially about the "artificially mystical properties of a smoke machine," and how the model looked, and how she was treated, and later on I showed it to another friend and he went "It sounds like a man wrote this." He was totally right.

How do you think your poetry should be best enjoyed?  Read out loud or seen on the page?

It depends on the poem. Some are easier to follow if you have them on the page, some work better if you're guided into knowing them with a certain tone or intonation. I like my poems best when they're lyrical and flow easily (or at least interestingly), so if a poem seems best when read out loud, that's usually a good sign to me.

Whose writing inspires you?

Maybe this is an unoriginal answer, but I think everything George Saunders does is brilliant. I keep waiting for him to let me down even a little bit and he never does. I love Saeed Jones and I think the way he weaves narrative across his poetry is incredible. I also read and give out to other people a lot of Lucille Clifton and Audre Lorde. Recently I've gotten into some online stuff by Steve Subrizi--"Disintegrate in Ambergris" is probably my favorite.

Who are you currently reading?

The Last Days of California by Mary Miller. It uses boredom like a knife. It's great.

What is your favorite thing to do when you're not writing?

Other than reading other people's writing, probably just walking around one of New York's nice parks, like some sort of wistful old man. Or listening to one of many awful-but-fascinating true crime podcasts.