I said nothing—I hadn’t known Marya, and anyway, “listening quietly” was my general social strategy

They belong to their readers now, which is a great thing–because the books are more powerful in the hands of my readers than they could ever be in my hands.

People, I thought, wanted security. They couldn't bear the idea of death being a big black nothing, couldn't bear the thought of their loved ones not existing, and couldn't even imagine themselves not existing. I finally decided that people believed in an afterlife because they couldn't bear not to.

March 4th, the only day that is also a sentence

The Red Wheelbarrow" by William Carlos Williams. So much depends upom a red wheel barrow glazed with rain water beside the white chickens.

I’m not up for laughing, but their laughter makes the room feel safer, so we begin to explore.

We're going to get gored to death by a feral fugging hog and your best strategy is to pretend it's a grizzly bear?