I want a theory to come out to guide policy.

I love the fact that I can go to a museum now that tells me I'm in the postmodern age.

I think poetry can lead to policy, and I can hear the laughter when I say that.

The first hit on the nervous system is the one I'm most interested in, because I think if you hit the reader emotionally, the reader can't guarantee the lessons they would like to learn.

Eliot said that "genuine poetry can communicate before it is understood." What he meant by that is, the emotional understanding comes before you understand the argument that follows later in the text.

I can't stay engaged for years with a book unless it has feelings. It can't be an idea for me - it has to be a felt thing.

My grandfather is Portuguese. He betrayed what was expected of him and married my grandmother of African descent on my father's side.