I start writing, pull whatever images happen to occur to me and make up a story, instead of starting with details that are real and I know of and going from there.

Life is hard, you're tired, and there's disease. The strategy that works for children is to be delighted by the things that delight you.

As an artist, you always have to be growing. You don't just want to do what you already know people like.

Everybody experiences reality in a way that's only true for them.

It's impossible to be content all the time - you have to learn to be content in places where you're unhappy and owning your emotions, whatever they are.

The South actually has a very strong tradition of activism. The civil rights movement came from down here! It was black activists demanding that their voices be heard. People say these are red states. No they're not!

I really love Durham more than any place I've ever been; some small towns can be really provincial and strangling, but Durham is the best city in the world.