I have this delusion that I completely buy into, which is that nobody is reading... It’s my writing, even if it’s very clear that it’s autobiographical, and I understand that, nobody is reading it that way. There is this conceit in all literature of ‘the speaker.’  And, so as long as it’s in my poetry, I’m like, ‘Nobody can say that’s me.  That’s the speaker.’  It’s very dumb, but I totally subscribe to it.  [Laughs]

That’s fair.  I think that’s where a lot of the potency comes from, the raw personal moments in there. 

It’s weird, but I really mean that.  I read my poetry in front of my mom and my stepdad.  They love my work.  And some of it is stuff that’s just pretty raw. [laughs]  It’s just like, ‘That’s the speaker talking; Nothing to do with me!’  [Laughs]

For as much as it can be kind of heavy, there’s a fair amount of humor in your work.  I’m curious how conscious that is, or how much of it is just the way your voice operates.

I think that’s just me.  It’s funny, I was just talking about this with a friend of mine yesterday.  I was reading her manuscript, and I was like ‘Ooh, it’s so dark.  It’s funny too.’  She was like, ‘Really?’  And that happens to me. People always say that my writing is funny, and I’m like, ‘Huh. Is it?’ But then, of course it is. 

Humor is so important to me.  I don’t think there’s anything  more worthwhile than laughing.  And I also just think art that doesn’t laugh is boring.  But I don’t try to be funny . It’s just, life is funny.  Even when it’s fucking bad, it’s funny. Or, to me it is.  

Yeah, I was almost hesitant to ask about that.  Because you don’t wanna point out some humor and have the writer say, ‘What are you talking about??’

Oh God, I think it’s so much more horrifying to me that someone would think my work is self-serious.  I really can only respect work that admits to humor.  That’s real.  I just don’t feel like it’s honest not to let that into your work.  And I get super turned off by art that doesn’t, that tries to make it seem like just because something is sad it’s not also funny.  Or just because something is really beautiful it’s not also absurd.  It’s all fucking absurd and funny to me. 

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