Poetry comes alive to me through recitation.

My mother was a single working mother; she started having children very young. There was a tension inside her about who she wanted to be and what she wanted to do and how she couldn’t achieve the things she wanted to.

I don't have a lot of thrilling anecdotes about my career or personal life. All the stuff that is interesting is private and I wouldn't want people to know.

I’ve always considered it a great privilege to be a musician, I’ve never lost sight of that.

I wish I had appreciated my youth - I should have worn tighter clothing when I could have!

I'm on this search trying to figure out exactly who I am and what I have to say to people.

There is one tradition in America I am proud to inherit. It is our first freedom and the truest expression of our Americanism: the ability to dissent without fear. It is our right to utter the words, 'I disagree.' We must feel at liberty to speak those words to our neighbors, our clergy, our educators, our news media, our lawmakers and, above all, to the one among us we elect - President.