“I’ve always written. After writing for a long time in my child’s head, I drew, then held a pencil to trace all those words that fill a sentence—my enduring obsession, the place of the word in the sentence, probably my own place. I write, then erase endlessly, and forget where I placed my words. If I find them again without looking for them, I no longer recognize them. I’ve self-published twice. It was a big leap; I wanted to lay myself bare. I’ve also always written poems, words placed like roly-poly toys that I observe from afar. I was a pediatric oncology nurse, a job I carefully loved, yet it hurts.”