Who or what would you say has been your biggest inspiration in life?
Words and their collectors. I have a background in linguistics and delight in reading dictionaries – especially etymological dictionaries – as well as older poets, authors and other prose stylists to see how the language has changed, or what strange and wonderful turns of phrase I can sneakily steal to use in my own work. Children, language learners, and people who are unselfconscious about their use of language can also be a wonderful source of inspiration – for me, everything begins with the words.
Which poet do you most admire?
The Beowulf poet. Until I found the Beowulf poet, I felt completely unanchored in any sort of literary tradition – but now I feel at home.
Do you have a favourite poem that you have written or one that means a lot to you?
My poem 'But a Hat' is one of my favourites – it’s one of the first that I wrote under my Poet Deploriate pseudonym, and it’s very much who I am.
Stephanie tweets at @readinasitting and writes silly things at poetdeploriate.tumblr.com.