Poet and novelist Kei Miller was born in Jamaica in 1978. His short story collection The Fear of Stones (2006) explored issues of homophobia in Jamaica and was shortlisted for a Commonwealth Writer's Prize. The Cartographer Tries to Map a Way to Zion, his most recent poetry collection, was awarded the 2014 Forward Prize for Poetry and has been shortlisted for the International Dylan Thomas Prize and the 2014 Costa Poetry Award. He lives in London with Metu, the editing cat.

What is the last thing you read that made you laugh out loud?

I read something every day that makes me laugh out loud, and inevitably it is something on Facebook or Twitter.

Which books are currently on your bedside table?

Marlon James's novel, A Brief History of Seven Killings; Tanya Shirley's new book of poems, The Merchant of Feathers; a new poetry collection by the New York-based poet Matthew Hittinger, called The Erotic Postulate; and Visions of Zion, a book by Erin MacLeod.

Which books changed your life?

Shame by Salman Rushdie and Land to Light On by Dionne Brand. The first made me realise what one could do as a novelist; the second made me realise what one could do as a poet.

When did you know you were going to be a writer?

 From quite early - I just didn't know what kind of writer. I imagined at first I'd be writing some kind of cheesy romantic/suspense novels like Sydney Sheldon, who I read a lot.

What music helps you write?

It depends on the book I'm writing. I develop playlists for each book. The playlist for The Cartographer Tries to Map a Way to Zion, as you might imagine, is full of a lot of vintage reggae - reggae that I hadn't even encountered in Jamaica. All this beautiful heart-wrenching music of people longing for Zion.

What do you snack on while you write?

I don't snack. In fact, when I'm writing furiously, I swim a lot - something about the boring routine of doing laps clears the mind and helps me to figure things out. So when I'm writing, I look quite fit.

What are you scared of?

Myself mostly. The stupid things I say at times - the people I hurt. I hate that. And the big things, like dying. Many of my friends think it's silly to be afraid of that but I really am. Or at least upset about its inevitability.

When do  you feel most free?

When I've boarded that flight to go back home to the Caribbean.

How do you relax?

With a glass of wine, and by bingeing on crap TV - a whole season's episodes downloaded at once. Usually it's reality TV like Top Chef or Project Runway.

When did you last cry?

I cry regularly but never for important things. It's usually when flying and watching the most inane romantic comedy. The tears just flow. But now I've discovered that there's a science to it - that we are physically more prone to tears at high alritudes.

If you could own any painting, what would it be?

It would be something quite contemporary. One of the large-scale works done by Ebony Patterson or Philip Thomas. I'd love to be able to afford one of their pieces.

Which book do you wish you had written?

Most recently Judith Schalansky's Atlas of Remote Islands. But that list is actually a long one. I am driven by more jealousy and envy than is polite to admit. I wouldn't write if every so often I didn't come across a book, a passage, a poem that made me deeply envious.

Where is your favourite place in the world?

South Africa. I fell deeply in love the first moment I landed there and go back even for the smallest invitation.