As we talked of freedom and justice one day for all, we sat down to steaks. I am eating misery, I thought, as I took the first bite. And spit it out.

People do not wish to appear foolish; to avoid the appearance of foolishness, they are willing to remain actually fools.

I don't know if you actually get something out of writing poetry. I think poetry is an autonomous muse that decides to come and sit on your couch.

In my work and in myself I reflect black people, women and men, as I reflect others. One day even the most self-protective ones will look into the mirror I provide and not be afraid.

I'm not being disrespectful of the medium; it's just not as important as the work that I actually do [books].

The hardest part is when you're in danger yourself. You have to face what could happen and might be likely to happen to you. It's not just that you're there standing next to somebody that something bad is likely to happen to. That is a true moment of reckoning with who you really are.

Guided by my heritage of a love of beauty and a respect for strength - in search of my mother's garden, I found my own.