SOURCE: Doty, Mark, and Christopher Hennessey. “Going to the Source.” Lambda Book Report 10, no. 11 (June-July 2002): 12.

In the following interview, Doty discusses such issues as the development of his thematic and artistic preoccupations, the role of geography and public awareness in his work, and his aesthetic approach.

Mark Doty seems to understand the origins of art's power, and his most recent volume of poetry resonates—in a new key for this award-wining poet and memoirist—with that understanding. In this interview, Doty digs deep into this new work, the aptly titled Source, and offers the stories behind each of his previous volumes. Among topics central to understanding his poetry and his aesthetic project, Doty expounds upon the interconnections of life, art, and observation.

Along the way, Doty speaks to his personal influences and origins, weaving a narrative of poems, poets and principles that have been important to his life...