I never wanted Mary Poppins to be my nanny. I wanted to be her when I grew up.

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.

If you want to understand any woman, you must first ask about her mother and then listen carefully.

Of all life's pleasures, only love owes no debt to death.

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

Since 1985, I have written about contemporary Jewish practice and the Jewish community.

One of my great secrets was knowing I had the power to make her smile.