Even with all of its changing, Brooklyn's architecture still feels like home, the language feels like home. It's changing so quickly that it's surprising. It's surprising still, when someone looks kind of askance to see me walking towards them.

I rewrite my books until they're mostly memorized so that's a lot of rewrites, a lot of time spent with my stories.

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

You can't always be pushing people away. Someday nobody'll come back.

Seems like every time life starts straightening itself out, something's gotta go and happen.

I loved and still love watching words flower into sentences and sentences blossom into stories.

Don't trust women, my mother said to me. Even the ugly ones will take what you thought was yours.