I hate desks; they make me feel like a child doing homework.

I must say, in the case of "Room," both the book and the film, I don't think being a lesbian author held me back at all.

A memoir is always the most authentic telling of a situation, but a novel gets to different places.

I guess the feminism in "Room" springs to mind most.

Sometimes when persons say definitely it sounds actually less true.

Something we do know is that review coverage does go to male authors more than women authors. That's a fact. I think it's one of those examples of unconscious bias: If you hire a lot of male journalists, they're more likely to pick up the latest Ian McEwan novel than the latest A.S. Byatt novel.

I watch his hands, they're lumpy but clever. "Is there a word for adults when they aren't parents?" Steppa laughs. "Folks with other things to do?