Writing is the thing that props me up.
If I ever teach writing again, I’d say the first lesson is to listen.
I come out of a strong oral tradition in the South.
When you're a writer, you have to write these stories, even if you don't get paid
I’ve known people that the world has thrown everything at to discourage them...to break their spirit. And yet something about them retains a dignity. They face life and don’t ask quarters.
I'm a social writer in the sense that I want to record, but not in the sense of trying to change people's minds.