The 20th century saw far greater catastrophes than September 11th, as bad as it was, and they didn't render literature or art or music irrelevant. In fact, I think that literature and art help us to understand - sometimes they provide narratives and metaphors for understanding history, for understanding recent catastrophes.

A creative writing program is only as good as its teachers, and I was fortunate in having two great writers as mentors.

It's the cynics who never get married.

Eat, drink and remarry is my motto.

I'd like to have the kind of house someday where a carousel horse wouldn't be out of place in the living room.

Mine is not an autonomous imagination.

There aren't many shy writers left.