Quotes from Jesmyn Ward

People don't read me and say, 'Oh, it's so clean and elegant.'

I think art, especially literature, has the particular power to immerse the viewer or reader into another world. This is especially powerful in literature, when a reader lives the experience of the characters. So if the characters are human and real enough, then readers will feel empathy for them.

I love where I'm from. I love the landscape because it is so beautiful, and I also love the people of my community, the people whose stories I'm trying to tell.

Without the library, I would have been lost.

I need the lightness of children's lit.