Poetry, for me, conveys the essence of narrative rather than its particulars.

I love the idea of species fluidity, I guess, the sense of the maiden inherent in the swan or seal, the youth inherent in the bear or deer. After all, human beings are animals.

What was the good of dreaming of adventure if you turned your back on the first one that came your way?

I've always loved stories of animals and birds that can appear to be human, just by taking off their skins or their feathers.

Aren't we most aware of our animal natures when love or hunger or hatred burns through reason and encourages us to do exactly what we desire to do, with frequently tragic results?

The fact that I seem to prefer seals over any other animal brides is something I hadn't actually realized until this moment. Perhaps it's because there's a lot of very cool folklore about it.

I can't rhyme for little green apples. What I can do is scan and make patterns.

Not all animal brides are doomed. Not all men are greedy or violent or possessive.

His mama beat him with an ugly stick so hard, it gone straight on till his soul.

Mam said I was growing up. I felt that I was dying.

The villagers marked the time in two ways: before the swamp and after. What came before was good. And all that came after was not.

Don't differentiate between "This is a job" and "This is what I'm doing for fun." It's all simultaneous.

Sometimes sleep gets to be a serious and complete thing. You stop going to sleep in order that you may be able to get up, but get up in order that you may be able to go back to sleep.

In contradiction and paradox, you can find truth.

I surrounded myself with women when I was growing up because I had this horrible psycho father. Now I'm trying to really appreciate and like men more.

The black and merciless things that are behind the great possessions.

Thanksgiving is worry's kryptonite.

My thinking is that miracles exist to reveal God, but miracles don't exist for God to do me any favors.

In other words, by finding the anomalous event, what you do is you get out ahead of activities.

The soul has illusions as the bird has wings: it is supported by them.