I am in Boston right now, in fact, to do work at the New England Historical Genealogical Library, where I'm trying to finish up tracing my lineage back to the seventeenth century.

I'm trying to make sure that there's comedy as well as sadness. It makes the sadness more memorable.

I judged about a zillion awards this year so Ive been reading a lot of books that just came out.

There’s something really rich and powerful in not talking about what you need to talk about sometimes.

Maybe when I'm sixty-five I'll talk about my literary life.

Major theme of the book ["Hotels of North America"], from my point of view: what is persona, what is self, in the digital sphere, and/or what is the effect of it on self in a prolonged interaction.

I think literature is best when it's voicing what we would prefer not to talk about.