Daniel Bouchard edits The Poker and lives in Somerville, Mass. He is celebrating his tenth year away from classrooms this year. His first book, Diminutive Revolutions, was published by Subpress in 2000. Subpress will publish his second book, Some Mountains Removed, in December 2004. Buy his book here. 1. What is the first poem you ever loved? Why? Auden’s “Memory of W.B. Yeats” is among the first poems I ever loved. I liked how it said. The poem continued and continues to expand for me upon subsequent readings. 2. What is something/someone non-“literary” you read which may surprise your peers/colleagues? Why do you read it/them? Celebrity gossip. I read the captions of photographs in magazines like People. It’s a side of fame poets will never have to reckon with. I also like tell-all movie-star biographies of the Kitty Kelly variety. 3. How important is philosophy to your writing? Why? Philosophy is as important as bird guides, bee manuals and political economy. Very important. If it’s good, it informs and provokes. 4. Who are some of your favorite non-Anglo-American writers? Why? Reznikoff, Larry Eigner, Stein, Sterling Brown, Juvenal, Rachel DuPlessis, Cedar Sigo. Great work is why. 5. Do you read a lot of poetry? If so, how important is it to your writing? I do read a lot of poetry. It’s important to my writing in that by reading I continue to learn how to write poetry and how not to write poetry. 6. What is something which your peers/colleagues may assume you’ve read but haven’t? Why haven’t you? They may assume that I’ve read Proust, tho I can’t imagine why they would assume that. But I haven’t done it yet (just to piss those eggheads off). 7. How would you explain what a poem is to my seven year old? I would read poems appropriate to a seven year old (perhaps from the children’s anthology Louise Bogan edited) and then field questions. I might learn something from her/him. 8. Do you believe in a Role for the Poet? If so, how does it differ from the Role of the Citizen? I believe there is a role for each poet but that role is self-determined. I don’t believe there is a uniform role for the poet. My own role is to write honestly and sincerely and be engaged with the world. 9. Word associations (the first word which comes to mind; be honest): Lemon**tree very pretty Chiseled**me timbers I**pronounced eye Of**course Form**please print clearly 10. What is the relationship between the text and the body in your writing? Understated.