My oldest brother was stabbed thirty to forty times and strangled to death with his own belt when I was eight years old. Much of my life has been pockmarked with violence. So I had a natural interest in the topic, along with a strong home-field advantage.

If anything, I've probably tended more toward humor in my writing and veered more toward pleasure in my personal life.

the fact that they stole their whole shtick from Woody Guthrie and the coal-mining bards. While the alternative nation meows about personal fashion angst, the Appalachian nation still sings about unemployment.

Hatred is the air I breathe. It permeates every cell in my body.

When I see two women kissing, my only physical reaction is a strong desire to vomit in both of their mouths.

I never want to think or write about the topic again when I'm finished with it.

Different groups in different areas developed different traits to assure their survival.