Growing up, I didn't come from a musical family. Neither of my parents played an instrument, sang out loud, or listened to the radio with frequency. The record collection in the living room was only about 2 feet long - and that included 4 solid inches of Neil Diamond and Herb Alpert.

In 1989, I had a fellowship to teach for Yale in China for two years. I came back from California to New Haven to spend the summer learning Chinese, but because of Tiananmen Square, Yale cancelled the program.

I had a 20-year career. I have two children. The advantage of writing later in my life is that I already had a whole mature realm of accomplishments and responsibilities, an identity outside of being a writer.

Strangely enough, my favorite airport is Logan Airport in Boston - but largely for sentimental reasons. My first real summer job was working as a journeyman for the airport's resident maintenance crew - a small army of union electricians, plumbers, and carpenters.

In the 114th Congress, I had the privilege of serving on two of the most important Committees in the House of Representatives: the House Armed Services Committee and the Committee on Education and the Workforce.

Hebrew School was my first introduction to real feminism. I remember that much more than I remember any kind of actual religious teaching.

If you're going to have a public subsidy to education, vouchers are clearly a better way of delivering it. They should result in some loosening up and privatization of the government school system.

I wasn't really into school that much. I was in this building having to cram knowledge I didn't really care for. But on YouTube, I was able to create what I wanted and post it for people to watch.