We are not trapped or locked up in these bones. No, no. We are free to change. And love changes us. And if we can love one another, we can break open the sky.

The great man say that life is pain," Coydog had said over eighty-five years before. "That mean if you love life, then you love the hurt come along wit' it. Now, if that ain't the blues, I don't know what is.

My father always taught by telling stories about his experiences. His lessons were about morality and art and what insects and birds and human beings had in common. He told me what it meant to be a man and to be a Black man. He taught me about love and responsibility, about beauty, and how to make gumbo.

A man's bookcase will tell you everything you'll ever need to know about him.

Octavia Butler has been a beacon for thousands of us. This award will continue her legacy making sure that others will find their way to harbor.

Losing my parents really set me adrift in more ways than one. It's not just losing them. It's losing the possibility of family.