I couldnt be a writer without hope. I think I became a writer because Im pretty optimistic.

Racism doesn't know color, death doesn't know age, and pain doesn't know might.

What you say is what matters.

For me as a writer, it was understanding that we're so far behind in our way of dealing with death. We put someone in the ground, we bury them or we burn them, and then we're supposed to just move on and kind of get over it.

I believe in one day and someday and this perfect moment called Now.

I've learned about marrying poetry and prose and making both accessible.

A long time ago, Anne used to talk about energy - how that was all that love was - ions connecting across synapses of time and air. Don't rationalize, she'd say. None of it will ever make sense. I leaned back against the wall and closed my eyes, not wanting to cry. Anne was right. None of it made any sense.