Debbie Daniel on teaching, writing and singing 'The Sound of Music' soundtrack

Debbie Daniel grew up wanting to be a singer and actress who, as a writer, gets to "create characters and act out the parts on paper."

"If anyone's looking for a poet/fiction writer or a good musical duo, or if you just need someone to sing the entire 'The Sound of Music' soundtrack, I'm your girl," she says.

Her chapbook, "As Is," was published in January.

Q: Tell me about your chapbook, "As Is."

A: The poems in this book are about taking life just as it is, dealing with whatever comes our way, whether it's pleasure and triumph or divorce or sickness or death, and moving forward with a hopeful attitude.

They're poems about family and relationships and imperfections. Some of them are funny, some poignant, some sad, but what I want to resonate with the reader, is that regardless of the troubles or successes that come to us, we continue to grow and change and, hopefully, we stay positive and strong.

Q: How did teaching affect your writing?

A: For many years, I taught basic elements of writing and reading and wrote plays and poems for children, which kept me producing work even in the years when I wasn't concentrating on the adult reader.

I found my writing was influenced by my classroom experience but what seemed more apparent was that my desire and quest to become a better writer impacted my teaching. As I honed my craft, I transferred that knowledge to the children, encouraging their creativity in self-expression, and helping them become more astute critical readers.

It made a difference to them that I was experiencing the writing process at the same time they were: the rejections, the revisions, the constant effort to improve. My writing and publications also let them see that contemporary writers are real live people not just names in a book.

Q: How do your passions for music and writing play off of one another?

A: Music gives melody and rhythm as well as a lyrical sense, both in actual wording and the emotional impact of those words. All those elements are essential in any genre of writing, especially poetry. I want a musical quality to my work so I listen for sounds of letters, of words, and the way they dance on the tongue.

Q: If you could collaborate with one poet, who would it be and why?

A: Billy Collins is one of my favorite poets. I love his wry wit and the way the conversational tone of his poems eases the reader into realizing the importance and weight of the smallest, simplest and most mundane events and objects in everyday life.

He's opened up poetry to a huge audience who ran screaming away from it back in high school. He's helped make it approachable for regular people.

Collaborating with him would be a treat. I'm sure I'd learn from his example and his experience while enjoying his sense of humor and the way he sees the world.