I think all in all, one thing a lot of plays seem to be saying is that we need to, as black Americans, to make a connection with our past in order to determine the kind of future we're going to have. In other words, we simply need to know who we are in relation to our historical presence in America.

There are always and only two trains running. There is life and there is death. Each of us rides them both. To live life with dignity, to celebrate and accept responsibility for your presence in the world is all that can be asked of anyone.

My influences have been what I call my four Bs - the primary one being the blues, then Borges, Baraka, and Bearden.

What do you do with your legacy, and how do you best put it to use?

Suffice it to say, I'm not poor.

You get to the point where your demons, which are terrifying, get smaller and smaller and you get bigger and bigger.

I am not a historian. I happen to think that the content of my mother's life - her myths, her superstitions, her prayers, the contents of her pantry, the smell of her kitchen, the song that escaped from her sometimes parched lips, her thoughtful repose and pregnant laughter - are all worthy of art.