Janice Tokar on Being a Poet: Best & Worst

Open Book Toronto: What is the best thing about being a poet….and what is the worst?

Janice Tokar: Best two things: the heightened flow state on those rare occasions when a poem catches fire and words spontaneously pour out; the creative and generous people I’ve met through writing. Worst two things: being stuck with a line mid-poem that has the exact right words but the wrong rhythm; the inevitable self-doubt and second-guessing that flutters about after I press SEND.

the rest of the interview on Open Book Toronto, “celebrating and profiles Toronto and Ontario’s non-stop literary scene, with a special focus on the books and events produced by Ontario’s independent, Canadian-owned publishers.”