I have sparred with commenters as a music writer (on The Rumpus, among other places, see e.g., my review about Taylor Swift), and that was plenty of training!

I have worked really hard to defy categorization, to break down a taxonomy whenever it comes my way.

Impotence, fetishism, bisexuality, and bondage are all facts of life, and our fiction should reflect that.

The past was so past it hurt.

I think literature is best when it's voicing what we would prefer not to talk about.

I am in Boston right now, in fact, to do work at the New England Historical Genealogical Library, where I'm trying to finish up tracing my lineage back to the seventeenth century.

I suppose I should say that I treasure blasphemy, as a faith of the highest order.

Genre is a bookstore problem, not a literary problem.

I judged about a zillion awards this year so Ive been reading a lot of books that just came out.

It's also true, however, that having conquered the regional writer ghetto, I am now intent on conquering the nationalist writer ghetto and moving out into the world more.

I'm trying to read more dead people because I keep having to read stuff for juries and so forth.

Everyone knows the principles of Beautiful life but, only few of them have opportunities to follow them.

Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

I think what holds people up in creative processes is the expectation of what it is they're doing. It's also the sense of judgement, you know, people editing themselves.

Never play leapfrog with a unicorn.

The danger with running for president is sooner or later some sound bite is going hit.

I'm a compassionate conservative.

I questioned everything. I didn't see a character developed in Platoon at all. The character in Blue Velvet was much more fascinating to me

When will rappers & skanks realize God's not the only one who gets to judge them on their actions? We do too. It's called CONSEQUENCES.

When your outgo exceeds your income, the upshot may be your downfall.

I am the fonder of my garden for all the trouble it gives me, and the grudging reward that my unending labours exact.