“The strangest question I ever received about my first novel, The Secret Life of Bees, came from a woman who attended one of my readings. ‘Did you write the book yourself?’ she asked. I had no idea what she meant, but it flashed through my mind that she’d taken one look at me and thought: this woman couldn’t possibly write a novel. I imagine this occurred to me because I’d spent a good bit of time thinking the same thing. I began writing at 30, focusing on nonfiction. It was a surprise when the desire to write fiction surfaced. As I worked on The Secret Life of Bees, it was hard to say which was greater—my desire or my trepidation. Honestly? I’m not sure the novel would have happened without Poets & Writers. Being selected for its Writers Exchange offered me opportunities I could only dream about. Few things are more necessary to writers than opportunities and resources, advocacy and community, hope and bravery. Poets & Writers offers writers all of these, helping to make the possible, possible.”