Being a reporter took me out of myself and that shaped me as a writer.

I think one's person's unlikeable is another's lovable.

I think the voice can carry a story.

I'm always relearning things I thought I'd learned for good a while back.

I had written about a small hamlet upstate, and had been called into a meeting about my story, which, as it turned out, had upset a lot of people.

When I teach, I try to assign writers from whom I can learn.

I think writers tend to hear a different message from the ones our friends and acquaintances intend. We see what's revealed, which makes us dangerous.