There's always a part of your nation's history that you haven't been told that... has a powerful impact on how you yourself may behave and may believe.

It's as if cats live in a seperate universe that takes up the same space as ours, but is full of facinating things like mice or sparrows or special TV programs that we can't see.

I concentrate on character, theme, language, structure, voice. It actually surprises me that no matter what I write, people declare it "intently political." I'm just writing about the world I know, as it is. Wounds and griefs included.

A human being can be good or bad or right or wrong, maybe. But how can you say a person is illegal? You just can't. That's all there is to it.

If it's important, your heart remembers.

Sometimes I prayed for Baby Jesus to make me good, but Baby Jesus didn't.

I don't look like who I am.