I never thought I'd be doing poetry books. I never really studied poetry. But the first one I did was after my mother died, and I realized that people sort of think and talk about her style and fashion, but in fact, what made her the person she was was really her love of reading and ideas.

I grew up in a household where reading was encouraged. My mother believed in the power of words, and my father obviously did too.

People don't always realize that my parents shared a sense of intellectual curiosity and a love of reading and of history.

I think that the presidency really brings out the best in a lot of people.

We need a President who is not afraid of complexity, who believes in an open and tolerant society, and who knows that the world can be made new again - and that President is Al Gore.

I think one of my father's great legacies is the people that he inspired and the generation that he inspired transformed America through civil rights, women's rights, equal justice, and they've passed that on to their children and grandchildren.

I am, you know, a Democrat through and through. I've always voted Democratic. You know, that is where my heart lies.