Living in San Francisco “can be like being in a relationship with someone who is moody in an exciting and ultimately harmless way”, according to Matthew Zapruder, an SF poet, essayist, and Rumpus contributor.

In an interview for Words Without Borders Zapruder discusses his 20-some year history with the city, uncovering the city’s quirks and literary fabric like native-poet Jack Spicer, City Lights, and the Mission’s Press: Works on Paper. Zapruder’s most recent poetry collection, Come On All You Ghosts (a NYT Notable Book of the Year in 2011), often alludes to his relationship with SF. Here he opens up about his verses on its weather, bridges, and personality.