Until people see poetry as springing from all of life, they will isolate it in a creativity corner and treat it like a mascot.

I really do like to write and when I'm not, I think, "Okay, I'll be a good citizen now" but fact is, that's secondary.

The essay must be artistically rendered: You must keep the reader engaged, whether with wit, conflict, mischief, and/or yes, with honesty.

Until people see poetry as springing from all of life, they will isolate it in a creativity corner and treat it like a mascot.

For most of my life, I have wanted broad impact but now, at 72, I'm not so sure that's always my first priority.

The essay is a wonderful medium. I might mention that some writers who longed to be novelists were better as essayists: Sontag, Baldwin, Vidal, Mary McCarthy, Mailer.

I've had an enduring appreciation of psychology.