What inspires a poem for me is usually a moment.

Drinking would shut down my seeing and my hearing and my feeling," she used to say. "Why would I want to be in the world if I couldn't touch the world with all of my senses intact?

I write books for teenagers because I vividly remember what it felt like to be a teen facing everyday and epic dangers. I don't write to protect them. It's far too late for that. I write to give them weapons-in the form of words and ideas-that will help them fight their monsters. I write in blood because I remember what it felt like to bleed.

Religious fundamentalists are unaware that freedom of religion necessarily brings with it the freedom to mock religion.

The ordinary can be like medicine.

I think the world is a series of broken dams and floods, and my cartoons are tiny little lifeboats.

I've come to the point in my life where I encourage young Native Americans to become much more selfish about their personal needs and wants.