There are roughly three New Yorks. There is, first, the New York of the man or woman who was born here, who takes the city for granted and accepts its size and its turbulence as natural and inevitable. Second, there is the New York of the commuter — the city that is devoured by locusts each day and spat out each night. Third, there is the New York of the person who was born somewhere else and came to New York in quest of something.

As in the sexual experience, there are never more than two persons present in the act of reading-the writer, who is the impregnator, and the reader, who is the resspondent. This gives the experience of reading a sublimity and power unequalled by any other form of communication.

It is deeply satisfying to win a prize in front of a lot of people.

Shocking writing is like murder: the questions the jury must decide are the questions of motive and intent.

I believe in dreams. People should have faith in the songs poets sing.

I get up every morning determined to both change the world and to have one hell of a good time. Sometimes, this makes planning the day difficult.

Writing is not an exercise in excision, it's a journey into sound.