I think I would have died if there hadn't been the women's movement.

Independent presses and bookstores give access to literature specific to a place. Readers can find stories they need.

When I saw him speak here before, I could look into the audience and see people who look like him laughing at things I didn't know the references to. There is an intimacy between Chicago writers and the population of this city that I find really wonderful. It's warm and it's welcoming. It's a little like going to a Baptist church. They know when to say 'Amen'.

I tell my students you have an absolute right to write about people you know and love. You do. But the kicker is you have a responsibility to make the characters large enough that you will not have sinned against them.

When I was growing up, I always read horror books, while my sister read romance novels.

Two or three things I know for sure, and one is that I'd rather go naked than wear the coat the world has made for me.