Reb Livingston is the editor of No Tell Motel. She's working on (along with No Tell's contributing editor, Molly Arden) an anthology titled _The Bedside Guide to No Tell Motel_. Her poems have recently appeared or are forthcoming in MiPOesias, SOFTBLOW, Ducky, Unpleasant Event Schedule, Drunken Boat, Good Foot and LIT. A native of Pittsburgh, PA, she lives in Northern Virginia with her husband and son. See some work here, here, here, here, here, here and here. 1. What is the first poem you ever loved? Why? I came to poetry rather late in the game. Although I was a voracious reader as a child, I read virtually no poetry. Our house was full of books; classics, contemporary novels, historical accounts, scientific and instructional manuals, three sets of encyclopedias, but I can’t remember coming across a single poetry collection or anthology. Aside from a handful of required poems in high school English courses, I didn’t read poems until college. The first poem that ever struck me was Cornelius Eady's "Sherbet" because it painted injustice and what was "wrong with the world." That was something I believed I could feel, relate to and understand at 18. It's one of the few poems I read as an undergraduate that I still remember vividly. So I guess that's love since love is what you don't forget. 2. What is something/someone non-“literary” you read which may surprise your peers/colleagues? Why do you read it/them? This probably wouldn't surprise anyone who knows me well, but I read a fair amount of new age-ish texts, things on astrology, tarot, numerology, souls, auras, etc. Any type of "how-to-live-your-life" guides. In middle school I read Dale Carnegie's _How to Win Friends and Influence People_ and ever since have been hooked on those kinds of books. I (heart) Dr. Phil. Right now I'm reading how-to books both on nutrition after pregnancy and developing a fantastic wardrobe. I also enjoy the celebrity gossip columns, although not to the extent my sister and mother do. 3. How important is philosophy to your writing? Why? You'd think a girl who spent 2 years as an office assistant in a university Philosophy department would have a good answer to this question. I was really good at fixing paper jam's in the department's copy machine. The philosophers could never figure it out. They were always calling for my help. They were brilliant, but I was powerful. My writing is probably helpless without philosophy, but I have yet to figure out how or why. During fits of arrogance I'll claim no importance whatsoever. The other thing that comes to mind is the campaign slogan of a failed Pittsburgh mayoral candidate in the early '90's. It was "I'll Kick Your Ass Philosophically." That phrase has almost become my mantra. Almost. 4. Who are some of your favorite non-Anglo-American writers? Why? Favorite writers of any type change with the seasons for me. My favorite non-Anglo-American writers that I've been reading and re-reading lately are Antonio Machado and Nichita Danilov because lately I've been drawn to poems of forbidden love and angels. Especially drunken angels. 5. Do you read a lot of poetry? If so, how important is it to your writing? Of course I do and I get irked when other poets say that they don't. I suppose I shouldn't care one way or the other, but I do. At the very least, I'm reading poems published in online journals on a daily basis. It's just so convenient. I read a handful of print journals on a regular basis and I have an embarrassing growing stack of books that I add to faster than I can keep up with. Especially now that my son is here. Since my time is more limited than ever, I read to him in the wee hours when I'm trying to get him to sleep. It's one of my goofy attempts to multi-task. On a weekly basis, I read No Tell submissions and that's probably the most obvious instructional of what to do and what not to do in my own poetry. 6. What is something which your peers/colleagues may assume you’ve read but haven’t? Why haven’t you? There's lots of stuff I haven't read, but I'm reasonably young and still have quite a few reading years left in me. I haven't read much of Pound. Years ago I purchased the Cantos, probably a ridiculous place to start, got intimidated and put it on my shelf. Someday I’ll go to back to it. 7. How would you explain what a poem is to my seven year old? I'd tell her that poetry is for adults and she's much too young and she should stick to Nancy Drew or the Babysitter's Club or whatever kids are supposed to be reading these days. If only somebody told me that when I was a kid, I'd have been reading the Cantos when I was 7 instead of smoking and drinking and being obsessed with acquiring a bra for myself. 8. Do you believe in a Role for the Poet? If so, how does it differ from the Role of the Citizen? There's no single role for anything. It depends on where you're at, what's needed and what you're capable of doing. We all have our roles, the only thing that unites poets across the board is writing poems. 9. Word associations (the first word which comes to mind; be honest): Lemon**Pledge Chiseled**Venus I**C.U.P. Of**Course Form**Spasm 10. What is the relationship between the text and the body in your writing? They often reflect each other. When one is weak or soft or sickly, so is the other. When one is strong or vibrant or engaged, SHAZAM!