I think we need to develop the courage to write from the viewpoint of people who may seem quite different from ourselves, who might have a different sexual orientation or a different race or a different ethnicity.
Alice MattisonWe still have so many cultures in which people are imprisoned and whipped and killed for writing what they think.
Alice MattisonI find that I get very excited about what my students are up to and that I get to be the hurdle they need to jump over.
Alice MattisonIt's hard to say which of us is luckier, the ones who go through long periods when they can't write or the ones who can write pretty easily.
Alice MattisonWhen I've taught writing to five, six, and seven year olds, it's not very different than talking to an adult writer. They're writers then, and when they get to be young teenagers they're not anymore. You might go and talk to them about writing, and they'll be very self-conscious or will have detached themselves from the group.
Alice Mattison