As a writer, I have learned that each time I pick up my pencil I betray someone.

I grew up in a culture in which it was a sin for a woman to speak out.

The only book worth writing is the book that threatens to kill you.

There is an art to writing, and it is not always disclosure. The act itself can be beautiful, revelatory, and private.

When I write, I put one foot in front of the other. It's an act of faith. I just follow my heart.

I will never be able to say what is in my heart because words fail us, because it is in our nature to protect, because there are times when what is public and what is private must be discerned.

The only thing I have done religiously in my life is keep a journal. I have hundreds of them, filled with feathers, flowers, photographs, and words - without locks, open on my shelves.