There is humor in the specter of the worst disaster in our nation's history. All I have to do is sweep away the debris of shock to find it.

You cannot hope to sweep someone else away by the force of your writing until it has been done to you.

Men can absent themselves from real life for their art more easily. Women are anchored into the quotidian business of getting food on the table making sure everybody's socks match the soccer gear is ready. I admire idealists but they're usually enabled by someone who holds the tether on their balloon who pays the bills and sweeps up after them.

What do we want our kids to do? Sweep up around Japanese computers?

But if I can be convinced and then through the work that we do together the orchestra can really be convinced of the big sweep of that communication that the piece suggests then the audience will get it and it will be a good experience for all of us.

Another night I dreamed I saw my father sweeping out the barn floor clean and would not suffer the wheat to be brought in the barn. He appeared to me to be in anger.