It just fascinates me, those private mechanisms that we use to make sense of the world - whether they have to do with the five senses or not. I think literature is one of the only kinds of art that truly lets us into that.

Another obligation that I have as a teacher is to make available to students a range of options and devices and approaches, rather than saying "well here's one way to do it and that's the only way that's good."

Giving the reader the space to move around and be active, and encourage their active response is important to me. That will connect the reader more to the text.

Sometimes you just feel like you could work forever on something and never know when it's done.

I am fascinated by tiny, incremental changes, almost imperceptible shifts in how people orient themselves in the world, because those are in some ways the most hopeful.

I'm always interested in encountering people who are synesthetic and seeing how they experience things.

There's relief in white space for the reader.