To Be One Woman, Truly, Wholly, Is

Writing Is About Doing Something Very Close To The Bone. It's About Shocking Yourself. When I Write, I Like To Make Myself Cry, Laugh - I Like To Give Myself An Experience. I See A Lot Of Writing Out There That's Very Safe. But If You're Not Scaring Yourself, Why Would You Think That You'd Be Scaring Anybody Else? If You're Not Coming To A Revelation About Your Place In The Universe, Why Would You Think Anyone Else Would?

Women Have Waited Millions Of Years, Growing Separate As Another Species, With Visions And Priorities No Man-words, No Man-measurements Can Comprehend.

Women Are Defined By Their Biography, And Men Are Sacrosanct From Their Biography.

I Know California Isn't A Real Destination. You Can't Get There From New Jersey, Not Simply By Following A Line Drawn On A Map. The Process Of Arrival Is More Subtle And Complex. It Involves Acts Of Contrition. You Must Appease The Gods. You Must Find Novel Forms Of Penance. You Must Tattoo Your Children And Look At The Wonder. It's About Conjuring And Awakening And Intuitions You Wish You Never Had.

Like I'm Dragging Bundles Of Old Clothes? I'm Carrying Artifacts That Breathe Fire. I'm Talking About A Language Of Smoke. These Are Three-dimensional Creatures That Can Mate. I'd No More Leave Them Go By The Side Of The Trail Than I Would My Child. I'll Carry Them Until Someone Amputates My Arms.