A short story is something that you can hold in your mind. You can really analyze how the entire thing works, like a machine

As a child of the 1970s, I couldn't hold a narrative in my head; I was lucky if I could hold a joke in my head, because every time you turn on television or radio, it wipes the slate clean - at least in my case. After I gave up television, I found I could carry longer and longer stories or ideas in my head and put them together until I was carrying an entire short story. That's pretty much when I started writing.

The truth is, immigrants tend to be more American than people born here.

Imagine how you’d feel if your whole life turned into a job you couldn’t stand.

We all want to explain ourselves. Nobody wants to be forgotten.

Find value in what we've been taught is worthless.

Her mom and dad are both doctors and want her to follow her dream, not turn out the way they have, no matter how much it costs them.