Every heart is the other heart. Every soul is the other soul. Every face is the other face. The individual is the one illusion.

A good writer cannot avoid having social consciousness. I don't mean this about small pieces of writing, but about a big book. If it's a big book, there has to be more than one undertow.

When the dream came into being, I always pursued it.

If there is no certain reality, the idea of following a leader must be scrutinized.

At the age of 18 all young poets are sure they will be dead at 21 - of old age.

There were also some cruel reviews by women, but the tone of the male reviewers, sometimes hysterical, was different. I have suffered, but I don't want to name names but there have been men who have seemed to want to destroy me or my writing, men I don't even know.

I've been willing to go for years without publishing. That's been my career.