The moon is whole all the time, but we canโt always see it. What we see is an almost moon or not-quite moon. The rest is hiding just out of view, but thereโs only one moon, so we follow it in the sky. We plan our lives based on its rhythms and tides.
Alice SeboldThe relationship with the words someone uses is more intimate and integrated than just a quick read and a blurb can ever be. This intimacy - the words on the page being sent back and forth from engaged editor to open author - is unique in my experience.
Alice SeboldAlmost everyone in heaven has someone on Earth they watch, a loved one, a friend or even a stranger who was once kind, who offered warm food or a bright smile when one of us had needed it. And when I wasnโt watching I could hear the others talking to those they loved on Earth: just as fruitlessly as me, Iโm afraid. A one-sided card cajoling and coaching of the young, a one way loving and desiring of their mates, a single-sided card that could never get signed.
Alice SeboldIt's something that I know how to do because I taught for a very long time, so I can do it, and I feel a responsibility to do it - for instance, in this situation, where I'm touring specifically for this period of time. But most writers are not public people. There are a few writers out there who really enjoy it and are good at it, and can both work and do that at the same time, but I'm not one of those people.
Alice Sebold