Statement.

My poems are both traditional and experimental, as they play with established forms—The Sonnet, The Villanelle, The Sestina—seeking to make them relevant in our twenty-first century. The line is vital in each case, whether writing free verse at one extreme or strict iambic pentameter at the other. Conspicuous end-rhyme is rare in my work, but internal rhyme is common, as is a pattern of alliteration derived from Old English. I embrace the label “New Formalism” as a descriptor despite its political connotations because I believe rhyme and meter make poetry joyful, and the human brain is hardwired to take pleasure from these devices. Themes include disillusion with American idealism, globalization, slowing down, sensuality, addiction, racism, generational guilt, non-individualism, the beauty of nature, and mindfulness as a source of energy.