In the '50s you had to wear pink ribbons if you were a girl, and you were supposed to become a hairdresser or a secretary. I couldn't stomach it. Later on, when I fell in love with my husband and had children, that's when my mother's earthiness or sense of femaleness kicked in.

I think the film [Dream of Life] is life-affirming.

One thing I like about getting older is things, your spectrum widens, your capacity for compassion widens.

My style of performance poetry came from the beatniks, Allen Ginsberg.

When I stopped performing for 16 years and lived in Michigan and was married and raising my children, I wrote about four or five books. I haven't published them.

Social media could be very strong in terms of bringing people together but it also takes up so much of people's time that I wonder if we've lost the ability to daydream.

Paths that cross will cross again