I want to write an essay called "Fear of Mexico," because I always feel like Mexico's this lover that never writes to me.

If we were multilingual, imagine how much you would learn about your own culture, about the sensibilities of what's important in your own culture.

I am obsessed with becoming a woman comfortable in her skin.

My idea was always to start with a small press and then move up to a national press. I had those goals for my career from the time I was a very young woman. I wanted to win a local award, then I wanted a state or national award. Small press, big press. Some women fantasize about their weddings, their husbands, and children. I fantasized about what I wanted to accomplish with my books.

I think that it's not enough to do the little Band-Aid things of having celebrities come and read to children. Not that we don't need to read to children, but we don't need to just do it one time and feel good about it. I think we need to think long range about poor people and their relationship to libraries.

I've always read broadly: literary fiction, sci-fi, fantasy, chick lit, historical, dystopian, nonfiction, memoir. I've even read Westerns. I prefer female protagonists.

I learn through listening and watching other performers that are very good, like Denise Chávez, Dorothy Allison.