The way we started was, Alison [McGhee] said, 'Tall girl, short girl.' We had no plans beyond that.

When we read together, we connect. Together, we see the world. Together, we see one another.

That is surely the truth, at least for now. But perhaps you have not noticed: the truth is forever changing.

I never want to be a role model.

You can't always judge people by the things they done. You got to judge them by what they are doing now.

I was visiting my mother in Florida when the September 11, 2001 attacks happened. I was working on The Tale of Despereaux at that point. I had already gone into writing it with a great deal of trepidation and fear, and then this God-awful thing happens and it was really hard to even get back home to Minneapolis.

I hate to cook and love to eat.