I Think That When A Poem Can

As An African-american, As A Woman I Think That I've Been Sensitized To The Way In Which History Privileges The White Male And The Way In Which Certain Aspects Of History, The Things That We Are Taught In School, The Things That Are Handed Down Never, Never Entered The Picture Though They Might Have Been Very Important.

I Always Loved Science. And In Fact, I Got A Science Award In High School. I Mean, I Loved Science, But I Think I Loved Literature More.

I Didn't Know Writers Could Be Real Live People, Because I Never Knew Any Writers.

I See A Resurgence Of Interest In Poetry. I Am Less Optimistic About The Prospects For The Arts When It Comes To Federal Funding.

From The Time I Began To Read, As A Child, I Loved To Feel Their Heft In My Hand And The Warm Spot Caused By Their Intimate Weight In My Lap; I Loved The Crisp Whisper Of A Page Turning, The Musky Odor Of Old Paper And The Sharp Inky Whiff Of New Pages. Leather Bindings Sent Me Into Ecstasy. I Even Loved To Gaze At A Closed Book And Daydream About The Possibilities Inside.