A great little interview from the Website Poets and Writers featuring Shin Yu Pai. She is a writer after our own hearts.
Regarding community -
" Poetry is for the community and acts as tool to build community. When I say community, I don’t mean the literary audience of poets and writers, academics and peers. I mean everyday people engaged with the struggle and art of living fully from an authentic place that brings together mind, spirit, and heart. "
Regarding public readings -
"While I never just wing an event with zero preparation, I do now often leave preparing for an event until the day of a reading to see what feels true to me in a given moment. I try to be who I am in front of an audience so that the poems can speak from my heart. I aspire to show up, instead of acting out a public persona."
Jump over to read the full article at Poets and Writers