I think it's very important for writers and artists generally to be witnesses to the world, and to be transparent. To let other people speak... to travel... to experience the world. And memorialize it.
Joyce Carol OatesFiction that adds up, that suggests a "logical consistency," or an explanation of some kind, is surely second-rate fiction; for the truth of life is its mystery.
Joyce Carol OatesI've never given up. I've always kept going. I don't feel that I could afford to give up. That would be the beginning of the end.
Joyce Carol Oates