If you have always believed that everyone should play by the same rules and be judged by the same standards that would have gotten you labeled a radical 60 years ago a liberal 30 years ago and a racist today.

The middle class is doing fine in fiction. But it's not what gets me going. I love the working class and everyone from it I've met and think they're incredibly witty inventive - there's a lot of poetry there.

Poetry is the art which is technically within the grasp of everyone: a piece of paper and a pencil and one is ready.

Everyone needs solitude especially a person who is used to thinking about what she experiences. Solitude is very important in my work as a mode of inspiration but isolation is not good in this respect. I am not writing poetry about isolation.

While also importantly not wanting to dumb it down or pretend the days of 'difficult' poetry are over because we live in a pluralist culture and there's room for 'difficult' poetry alongside rap and everything else. And poetry won't be for everyone but everyone should have the choice.

In science one tries to tell people in such a way as to be understood by everyone something that no one ever knew before. But in poetry it's the exact opposite.

Everyone thinks they're going to write one book of poems or one novel.

I will work to bring peace to everyone - whatever economic level - as long as you are Haitian.

Everyone is interested in war in that people don't want it to happen. I'm much more interested in peace than in war but it's important to understand why we fight.

We have a long way to go before we are able to hear the voices of everyone on earth but I believe that providing voices and building bridges is essential for the World Peace we all wish for.