“Words are to be taken seriously. I try to take seriously acts of language. Words set things in motion.”

“She wanted me to remember that pleasure is political--for the capacity to relax and play renews the spirit and makes it possible for us to come to the work of writing clearer, ready for the journey. (bell hooks about Toni Cade Bambara)”

“Reappraise the past reevaluate where we've been clarify where we are and predict or anticipate where we are headed.”

“Our lives preserved. How it was and how it will be. Passing it along in the relay. That is what I work to do: to produce stories that save our lives.”

“The most effective way to do it is to do it.”

“Not all speed is movement.”

“Words are to be taken seriously. I try to take seriously acts of language. Words set things in motion.”

“Writing is one of the ways I participate in transformation.”

“Write a lot and hit the streets. A writer who doesn't keep up with what's out there ain't gonna be out there.”