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

Love it, love it and the beat and beating heart, love that too. More than eyes or feet. More than lungs that have yet to draw free air. More than your life-holding womb and your life-giving private parts, hear me now, love your heart. For this is the prize.

A dead hydrangea is as intricate and lovely as one in bloom. Bleak sky is as seductive as sunshine, miniature orange trees without blossom or fruit are not defective; they are that.

I wrote my first novel because I wanted to read it.

When they fall in love with a city, it is for forever and it is like forever.

I think women dwell quite a bit on the duress under which they work, on how hard it is just to do it at all. We are traditionally rather proud of ourselves for having slipped creative work in there between the domestic chores and obligations. I'm not sure we deserve such big A-pluses for all that.

Anything I have ever learned of any consequence, I have learned from Black people. I have never been bored by any Black person, ever.