Sometimes I do feel like I write the same story again and again. And for me, I am always looking for a place with a kind of redemption.

For me, a happy ending is not everything works out just right and there is a big bow, it's more coming to a place where a person has a clear vision of his or her own life in a way that enables them to kind of throw down their crutches and walk.

Humor - I see it as a survival skill.

I am very interested in that fine line between fiction and reality and between comedy and tragedy - and pushing the line as much as possible.

The civil rights movement was based on faith. Many of us who were participants in this movement saw our involvement as an extension of our faith. We saw ourselves doing the work of the Almighty. Segregation and racial discrimination were not in keeping with our faith, so we had to do something.

My problem is I'm not talented enough to do everything, but I want to do everything. I'm like, 'Oh God, I wish I could dance! Oh God, I wish I could rap!' I can't be a rapper, and I'm sure as hell not going to be able to dance for a living, but I want to do it all, you know?

Following the creation concept that creation processes differed from preservation processes, it is suggested that God endowed each created kind, at the time of its creation, with potential for vast variety.

Basically, there are two paths you can walk: faith or fear. It's impossible to simultaneously trust God and not trust God.