In 1972, when I was in prison, there were about 250,000 people incarcerated nationally. And in the nearly fifty years since then, there are now some two and a half million people incarcerated.
I wanted every reader to think for herself about the importance and varieties of silence, as well as the importance of distinguishing them.
I don’t want this to be a cultural critique, or to garner attention as a poet only because the background seems exotic. I want the work to stand for the work.
The internet allows us to be in contact with loved ones from far away, to be able to hear and see them from the other side of the world. But it also allows us to create scenarios in our head about how lonely or unloved or uninteresting we are.
I am always striving to push the limits of categories, and if people have a hard time classifying me, I see that as a very good thing! As far as I’m concerned: good writing is good writing, wherever you shelve it.