I think the most interesting parts of human experience might be the sparks that come from that sort of chipping flint of cultures rubbing against each other.

restraint equals indulgence

Small change, small wonders - these are the currency of my endurance and ultimately of my life.

Literature is one of the few kinds of writing in the world that does not tell you what to buy, want, see, be, or believe. It's more like conversation, raising new questions and inspiring you to answer them for yourself.

This will be Great Mam's last spring. Her last June apples. Her last fresh roasting ears from the garden.

I'm widest awake as a writer doing something new, engaged in a process I'm not sure I can finish, generating at the edge of my powers. Some people bungee jump; I write.

Cooking is 80 percent confidence, a skill best acquired starting from when the apron strings wrap around you twice.