Ross Gay

I started reading seriously after I was in college. I read comic books. I read every 'Power Man' and 'Iron Fist' that ever came out. I had a teacher introduce me to poetry, and that kind of woke me up.

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The madness of spring is so enticing. I love it when things are opening up and emerging from the ground. I also love the middle of summer when fruit is bursting forth, but I even love the garden in the winter when everything is resting.

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Part of the delight of my garden is that you just get lost in it before you've even started to do anything.

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There's something about beautiful moments in sports that alters our experience of time. And I'd say the same thing about poetry and gardening. Gardening slows me down. I want to stop and observe everything.

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I walk out to my backyard garden at certain times of the year, and I can't get 30 feet without stopping for 20 minutes because the goumis need trimming.

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I have my own orchard, and I also work with the Bloomington Community Orchard, which has been one of the best experiences of my life.

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'Beloved' is a book that makes me cry.

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'Beloved' by Toni Morrison. I think I read it first in college and have read it every few years since. The language itself is remarkable. I don't know that I've read a book that explains America so well.

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I think it's crucial that we remember the lives of people, not their deaths. Our deaths are not our lives.

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