I have to say that the traditional role is kind of a myth. I think the traditional Mexican woman is a fierce woman.

Sometimes hearing the stories is going to change people's lives much more than if they read it.

The ideal for me is to mix it up. When I have a writing workshop, I like to have people that are anthropologists and people who are poking around in other fields, I like to have them all in the same workshop, and not worry about genre.

Heartbreak makes us stronger; it's an opportunity for spiritual growth. How can you understand someone else's pain if you have not yourself suffered?

Every single house has had death visit.

I always tell people that I became a writer not because I went to school but because my mother took me to the library. I wanted to become a writer so I could see my name in the card catalog.

You know, we should have cards like the deaf have. "Can't talk, I'm writing today."