Linh Dinh is the author of two collections of stories, “Fake House” (Seven Stories Press 2000) and “Blood and Soap” (Seven Stories Press 2004), and a book of poems, “All Around What Empties Out” (Tinfish 2003). His work has been anthologized in “Best American Poetry 2000” (Scribner 2000), “Best American Poetry 2004” (Scribner 2004) and “Great American Prose Poems from Poe to the Present” (Scribner 2003), among other places. He is also the editor of the anthologies “Night, Again: Contemporary Fiction from Vietnam” (Seven Stories Press 1996) and “Three Vietnamese Poets” (Tinfish 2001). A new book of poems, “American Tatts,” and a novel, “Love Like Hate,” are scheduled to come out in 2005. Buy his books here. Here are some links: interview, interview, reading, review, review, some writing ,a profile and a feature. 1. What is the first poem you ever loved? Why? I read many bad poems before I discovered “Phrases” by Rimbaud. I marvel at the state of mind that could produce such a miracle. Rimbaud and Vallejo are the most miraculous poets I’ve encountered. 2. What is something/someone non-“literary” you read which may surprise your peers/colleagues? Why do you read it/them? I’ve written elsewhere about my indulgence of trash, things like personal ads, missing person reports, teenage blogs and sport forums. When I lived in Italy, I read many tabloids. Reading Italian trash, I felt closer to Italians. Italian trash gave me direct access to the Italian mind, and provided a counterbalance to Boccaccio and Dante. I don’t know about Dante, but I’m sure Boccaccio must have read a lot of trash, judging from his work. Cervantes was said to read even a piece of paper skipping on the ground. I’ve also been “reading” boxscores of the Mariners for the last 20 years, in lieu of watching the games. I used to read Ring Magazine. His jab was more perceptive, etc. Joe Kozumi, Far East correspondent, would call a round a “stanza” or a “canto.” 3. How important is philosophy to your writing? Why? I’ve not read much philosophy. Two decades ago, I read Simone Weil intensely during a crisis period. I basically had a nervous breakdown. I read Weil and Emanuel Swedenborg and tried to join the CIA. They had a shrink interview me, gave me a drug test and, after 6 months, decided to hire me, but by then I was no longer crazy. Since that period, I’ve only read fiction, poetry and trash. 4. Who are some of your favorite non-Anglo-American writers? Why? I also write poems in Vietnamese and am an active translator of Vietnamese poetry. Phan Nhien Hao and Nguyen Quoc Chanh are two Vietnamese poets I admire. You can download their poems for free here. I’m also a big fan of the Vietnamese fiction writer, Nguyen Huy Thiep, whose work is available in English in the collection “Crossing the River.” Most of my favorite writers are in fact non-American, and why not? English is only one of thousands of languages in the world. Here’s a short list of non-Anglo writers I admire: Borges, Rabelais, Celine, Dostoevski, Michel Houellebecq, Ingo Schulze in “33 Moments of Happiness” and Kawabata in “Palm of the Hand Stories.” 5. Do you read a lot of poetry? If so, how important is it to your writing? I read my share but I’m a rather slow reader. Rarely do I read a book of poetry cover to cover. Glancing at a lot of poetry, I pause and study the poems that can teach me something. 6. What is something which your peers/colleagues may assume you’ve read but haven’t? Why haven’t you? As an autodidact, there’s quite a bit that I’m supposed to have read that I haven’t read. I read what I need to feed my writing at the moment. I love Kafka and am influenced by him but I have not read his novels. Yet I reread his shorter pieces over and over. 7. How would you explain what a poem is to my seven year old? A poem is a compact sequence of unpredictable images. I remember reading about a B-baller called Half Man Half Amazing. That phrase alone is a poem. 8. Do you believe in a Role for the Poet? If so, how does it differ from the Role of the Citizen? Poets should consider how Whitman defined the character of an entire nation. He assumed the greatest role possible for a poet. The rest of us can participate in his project also. As American poets living through this period, I think each of us should feel personally challenged to help restore dignity and sanity to our national character. 9. Word associations (the first word which comes to mind; be honest): Lemon**Pie Chiseled**Face I**Ching Of**Man Form**Less 10. What is the relationship between the text and the body in your writing? I am hyper-conscious of every inch of my body and whatever it happens to be doing at the moment. The mind’s primary task is to contemplate the body. I am a poet of the body. Your body also.