Ellen Gilchrist

In the schools of small Midwestern towns, the only aristocracies are of beauty, intelligence, and athletic prowess. ”

My ancestors are Highland Scots, and my father's home in north Alabama is so much like northwest Arkansas. I have the same allergies in both places. ”

I love Fayetteville. I like hills and vistas and hardworking people and fighting snow in winter and chiggers in the summer. ”

I love New York, but I wish they wouldn't put clothes on their dogs. ”

I love 'E.R.' and I'm not ashamed to admit it. It makes me know I did not waste my life after all by not becoming a medical doctor. ”

I have lived most of my life in small towns, and I'm in the habit of knowing and talking to everyone. ”

I can't conceive of nursing babies and taking care of children and writing, too. I know there are writers that do that, but I'm too single-minded. I can't stand to be interrupted, whether I'm writing a story or dressing a child. ”

My childhood is in my brother's house, and I like to visit there and be reminded. ”

Ever since I was a child, I've kept boxes and drawers and pages of things that I liked. I suppose that it constitutes a journal of sorts, but it's not in a ledger or a notebook. ”

Having your work honored nationally is a great morale booster. ”