I kept going back while I was writing the novel - which never sold, may it rest in peace - and by the time it was finished I had too many connections to Haiti to walk away.

I never listen to music when I'm writing.

By the end of the first decade of writing, I considered myself a confirmed failure in the eyes of the world.

It's amazing what happens when you stick yourself in a place and let things take their more or less natural course.

A person deprived of beauty and pleasure puts me in mind of the Haitian notion of a zombie - a person disconnected from his or her soul, a person who works for others' profit but never his own, a person who mindlessly does the bidding of the boss and exists in an emotional and mental limbo.

I got brilliant stories from people who'd never set foot in an MFA program and had published very little, and terrible stories from people who'd published a lot and had all the credentials. It was all over the map and that was part of the fun.

I think if you spend much time dwelling on influence you can get self-conscious about every line you write. That's a great way to freeze up.