In a far-reaching interview with Orion Managing Editor Andrew Blechman, Andrei Codrescu discusses his unexpected move to the Ozarks; Ovid’s exile to Romania, the importance of timing; his family’s escape from the Nazis; meeting Allen Ginsberg in the 1960s; the power of poetry and monetizing creativity; how to become a poet; his start as a commentator for National Public Radio; his coverage of the Romania revolution; his latest book based on the Persian folk tales in One Thousand and One Nights; and the wonders of retirement.