There is beauty in our roots. Sometimes we think our roots are shameful, and people tell you that you're no good or your ancestors are no good or that you come from a neighborhood of no hope and terrible crime. But it's about the beauty of those places, and I carry that with me.

I was torn between the Americanness my mom wanted for me and the Mexicanness my father wanted - they were wrestling for cultural influence over me.

Poetry is how I feed the soul, and it's how I fire the furnace of writing.

I often say poetry was my first love.

I am addicted to poetry, but the truth is I cannot pass up a good hard-boiled mystery.

We're all funny. Humor unites us.