I tell writers to keep reading, reading, reading. Read widely and deeply. And I tell them not to give up even after getting rejection letters. And only write what you love.

The other reason women wanted daughters was to keep their memories alive.

Egypt loved the lotus because it never dies. It is the same for people who are loved.

There's something almost adolescent about Whitman's paean to everything that was and remains good about America.

The more a daughter knows the details of her mother's life [...] the stronger the daughter.

Biblical names are hot again.

Shakespeare in Love... such smart writing of an alternative view of history, and such beautiful acting. Like most Americans, I'm a sucker for the accent.