Americans are incredibly polite as long as they get what they want.

It is sort of weird being honored for the worst day of your life.

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.

Haiti is unique - the first successful slave revolt in history, the first black republic etc., and then when you get into the culture, the voodoo, and that wonderful synchretization of Christian and African belief and symbology, it's like nothing the world has ever seen.

There was no such thing as perfection in this world, only moments of such extreme transparency that you forgot yourself, a holy mercy if there ever was one.

The Kessler Theater is one such gem, an Art Deco beauty … for a slice of real life, there’s always the Kessler.

The funny thing is, about the time I let go of any aspiration toward worldly success, that's about the time I started writing decent work.