As a young writer, I was on guard against the Latina in me, the Spanish in me because as far as I could see the models that were presented to me did not include my world. In fact, 'I was told by one teacher in college that one could only write poetry in the language in which one first said Mother. That left me out of American literature, for sure.

A book does not discriminate against any reader. All are welcome at the table of literature.

Everyone needs a strong sense of self. It is our base of operations for everything that we do in life.

How we lie to ourselves when we've fallen in love with the wrong man.

There is no end to what can be said about the world

It doesn't make any sense. If the SIM are policemen, secret or not, shouldn't we trust them instead of being afraid of them?

The point is not to pay back kindness but to pass it on.