It never occurred to me I could write poetry until a high school teacher praised a short paragraph of mine by telling me it read like poetry. From that day on I self-identified as a poet and storyteller. Catcher In the Rye was the first piece of writing that gave me goosebumps. Jack Kerouac and the beats were among my earliest influences, but by the time I entered the university Shakespeare's sonnets had already made their impression. I was fortunate enough to have several brilliant teachers at the University of Massachusetts who drew me deeper into the world of English 17th Cen more...
