in freeing myself from the romantic dream of finding another man to come along and rescue me, I learned that no one can rescue me except myself.

But we should ask the question: Why should a writer be more than a writer? Why should a writer be a guru? Why are we supposed to be psychiatrists? Isn't it enough to write and tell the truth? It's not like telling the truth is common. Writers are the earthworms of society. We aerate the soil. That's enough.

Most sex is not really intimate.

Poetry is the language we speak in the most terrifying or ecstatic passages of our lives. But the very word poetry scares people. They think of their grade school teachers reciting 'Hiawatha' and they groan.

Many, many people have done a lot more sexual experimentation than I have.

It's only when you're forbidden to talk about the future that you suddenly realize how much the future normally occupies the present.

Feminism is teaching. I've gotten a lot of pleasure pushing younger writers that I've met and worked with.