I try to create characters that I am fascinated by on some level or intrigued by or can't stand.

I don't trust white critics' judgment about most things that deal with black life, particularly when a black person is the creator.

As a writer, you get to bring attention to something without preaching. I don't believe in being didactic. So if you dramatize something, you automatically bring attention to it if people read it.

Why is it that if you happen to be black and over six feet tall, everybody thinks you supposed to play basketball or football?

People always have something to say about what you do and how you do it.

It goes without saying that your friends are usually the first to discuss your personal business behind your back.

I have a big mouth, and over the years, as the eldest of five, I have had a tendency to speak when no one really cared.