Your poetry is so beautiful and engaging for the reader, running the gamut from darker to lighter tones. Is there a moment during the writing of each poem where you are surprised where the language has taken you? Or is there more of an idea at the beginning and you find yourself following it through? 

When I was younger I would follow a continuous feeling or idea to its conclusion. In the last few years I’ve become more measured and methodical. I collect fragments of experiences, images, or words. Things that strike me or that I keep churning around in my head. I keep my fragments in a document and then, after a while, I gather the ones that are calling to me and weave them into something cohesive. Surprise is not the word I would choose. I’d say I arrive at clarity at the end of a poem. The realization emerges over time, rather than an instant. 

You've done work leading writing workshops for system-impacted youth in the greater Los Angeles area. What have those workshops been like for you?

The majority of my work with system-impacted youth has been inside juvenile incarceration facilities. While it can be stressful and overwhelming to navigate the bureaucracy of those facilities I’ve found the work to be meaningful, even sacred. I’ve witnessed a lot of fear, anger, and chaos, but also beauty, camaraderie, and transformation. It’s humbling work but I love it. 

Valentine’s Day is a few weeks away. Do you have a favorite romantic comedy?

I’m famously a stickler when it comes to romantic comedies. The romances feel unearned. A movie that came to mind for me was “La Chimera.” La Chimera feels like a poem. It’s about love, death, and a country contending with its own history. It was also my first introduction to Josh O’Connor. He wears this fantastic linen suit that gets progressively dirty throughout the film. It’s fantastic; I sobbed. Can’t recommend it enough.