But I was supported by an incredibly strong crew, many of whom I’ve known for years from having worked in New Zealand. It was a very collaborative effort.

The people that already do it, Lourdes Dooley, Aaron Mulliss, Nick Bearshaw, Claire Kreigenfeld and all of their amazing support team, and of course the amazing Alex Longstaff who has to deal with my childish antics on an hourly basis.

I have no team business-wise. I should mention that I have no assistant or team at all.

We have two pieces of regrettable news this year. First, Gladys Kaiser, my friend and assistant for twenty-five years, will give up the latter post after the 1993 annual meeting, though she will certainly remain my friend forever. Gladys and I have been a team, and though I knew her retirement was coming, it is still a jolt.

As a writer, the only thing that you can guarantee yourself pleasure and challenge from is inside your own writing process.

Carrie helped me keep to a strict rhythm, but all the essays took shape in very idiosyncratic ways.

It’s a gift to let yourself be changed by a person, and for a person to allow you to change them.

At a basic level, I think something is successful if I think I got myself anywhere new at all.

I feel some sort of chemistry with the subject.…The bar for me is when it’s interesting enough that I would talk about it on my own time.

I love being bad at something and getting better at it.