Poetry must speak of others, in order to speak for the poet's imagination, in order to speak of itself; it is slowed down by poetics after its flight is over.

According to [Maxine Hong] Kingston, the prose writer is "a workhorse."

The Chinese traditionally have revered age and longevity - I have one and hope for the other! - so, in Taipei, a city-hub for global Chinese who dis-identify with the People's Republic of China's construction of a Communist nationalist Chineseness, I called on the Chinese muse of writing to witness my emergence out of the academic woods.

Even after the mothering dropped because my son grew up, the writing - the muse - was always the third wheel, the lowest on the priority list.

I always wanted to be pretty as a girl, although I believed it was not possible.

I came to realize this weird projection: you are much more passionate about hating something outside of you when you know that something is also in you.

Just because suddenly you have a sabbatical doesn't mean that the writing occasion comes to you.