Picture books are more difficult for me because it is telling a huge story in the least amount of words.

I teach young people how the arts can be used to stand up against injustice.

In my writing I hope to have a balance between the good and bad, the hard and soft.

I have always known that I wanted to work with youth through the arts and I believe the arts can help young people cope with hardship.

There are many writers who have influenced me and who I enjoy reading, but Lucille Clifton and Gwendolyn Brooks are at the top of the list.

For me, the lives of children and teens are interesting - they are always changing. There's just so much to sort through. All of this makes for good plots and complex characters.

I am the wind...I am death.

I believe my signal of maturity as a filmmaker iswhen I'll actually acknowledge the fact that the first take is usuallythe best.

If you are looking for your purpose or calling, you will find it in your pain.

The quest for God is the quest for true happiness.

War is not a polite recreation but the vilest thing in life, and we ought to understand that and not play at war.

Being enthusiastic settles nothing.

Peace will come when people have food.

I've taken off two months, three months at a time, and, by the end, I get really squirrelly. My night life, my dream life, gets extremely populated and crazed.

You can't trust a vampire, trust me

Teach as an old fishing guide takes out a beginner.