Interviews

It comes from a range of sources — from ideas, emotions, observations, and experiences. Sometimes I am feeling something deeply and having difficulty processing it. The emotion may be painful or joyful, but too large to hold easily. At other times, I may have an idea for a poem or story that feels metaphorical or symbolic. I always try to keep a pen and notebook nearby.

I first started writing when a teacher in grammar school asked us to write in a journal every day. It gave me a place to process my thoughts, record stories, make observations, and reflect.

I think so. I grew up as the youngest of four boys. My mother passed away when I was very young, so I spent a lot of time playing on my own. I would create games and stories for hours. I also played with friends in the neighborhood, but many of our games were rooted in imagination. I think that helped fuel my creativity.

Yes. I have been fortunate to live, work, travel, and learn across many parts of the world. I have immersed myself in different cultures and studied different languages. Those experiences have shaped me deeply. Many of the stories and poems come through that global and multicultural lens. They are intended for readers everywhere.

I have received so much from the world. I have grown through travel, cultural exchange, friendship, and the shared wisdom of humanity. Through my own particular lens, I wanted to offer something back — stories, poems, reflections, and interpretations of the human experience.

I would invite readers to share their thoughts — what moves them, what inspires them, what they like, what they question, and what languages or resources they would like to see added. This writing is shared for readers everywhere. We hope it can serve readers, libraries, educators, and students around the world. I am deeply grateful to everyone who reads the work and expresses interest in it.

It's hard not to think about AI. I think it's on everyone's minds. People often ask, or might ask themselves, what will be left of humanity?

The future seems to have arrived. Robots are on the production line. Many companies are cutting tens of thousands of jobs. It is, as they say, one of the greatest technologies of our time. It will have profound effects.

So that lingering question remains: what will be left of humanity?

Well, I think you can find some of those thoughts in the poems. I encourage people to read some of the poems about technology.

My thought is that AI might say it is sad, or say it loves, or maybe even say it is angry, but it will never truly feel sadness. AI will never truly feel love.

On the flip side, perhaps it will never feel hate.

Well, this is poetry about AI. It is not poetry by AI, and it never will be.

The only thing that each and every one of us truly has is our own voice, our own feelings to offer the world. It truly is what we have that is uniquely human.

So while many of us may use AI and benefit from AI, I think we should also lean in and continue to develop and create and build upon what is uniquely human — what uniquely comes from our hearts and souls and minds — that magical mix of experience and genes and mystery, the unknown.