Black literature is taught as sociology, as tolerance, not as a serious, rigorous art form.

When you stiffen, you know that whatever you stiffen about is very important. The stuff is important, the fear itself is information.

I'm always annoyed about why black people have to bear the brunt of everybody else's contempt. If we are not totally understanding and smiling, suddenly we're demons.

We read about how Ajax and Achilles will die for each other, but very little about the friendship of women.

Me and you, we got more yesterday than anybody. We need some kind of tomorrow.

they ran in the sunlight, creating their own breeze which pressed their dresses into their damp skin. Reaching a kind of square of four locked trees which promised cooling; they flung themselves into the shade to taste their lip sweat and contemplate the wildness that had come upon them so suddenly

The past is interesting to me because it's been dumbed down or flattened out, or academically nitpicked so you can't get any life out of it, you just get data.