Claudia Rankine is well-known throughout the literary world and there are many interviews and readings of hers widely available on the web. There is one particular interview with Rankine in 2006 that is significant for this guide because it mostly focuses on Don't Let Me Be Lonely, as the work was her most recent publication at the time. In the interview, Rankine gives us many important clues which can help us further understand her work. It is a valuable and rare resource in which a poet offers a window into what motivated her writing process. For example, Rankine meditates on her purpose for writing the book: "even though the book tries to negotiate questions in the world, it focuses on one's inability to effect change, which is deeply crippling. It's a journey inward that allows you to come back out." If you are interested in learning more about Rankine and getting information from the poet herself, this interview is an invaluable place to start.
