I have one brother John an airline pilot who is seven years younger. He's adopted though we're still blood related - he's my cousin. My parents couldn't have any more children after me so when Dad's brother died they adopted John then just a baby.

I'm not an American but I have this weird connection to America in different ways through my dad living here for five years my godfather being an American who I'm very close to.

I say this as a young dad seeing children going into primary school: I don't think we should underestimate the formative effect on a child of those first years in primary school.

When I moved out of London 13 years ago I found a whole other reason not to drive. This was because my new husband Dan unlike my dad did drive and this became a great source of fun and adventure.

The only day I remember of my parents' marriage was the day my dad walked out. As I stood there at five years old with my older sister and younger brother I knew that he was gone.

I came back from university thinking I knew all about politics and racism not knowing my dad had been one of the youngest-serving Labour councillors in the town and had refused to work in South Africa years ago because of the situation there. And he's never mentioned it - you just find out. That's a real man to me. A sleeping lion.

Well my dad was the district attorney of New Orleans for about 30 years.

My dad was the district attorney of New Orleans for about 30 years. And when he opened his campaign headquarters back in the early '70s when I was 5 years old my mother wanted me to play the national anthem. And they got an upright piano on the back of a flatbed truck and I played it.

Going to the theater is such a joyous experience. My dad would take my sister and me to plays when we were very young like six or seven years old.

I get that same queasy nervous thrilling feeling every time I go to work. That's never worn off since I was 12 years-old with my dad's 8-millimeter movie camera.

When I was about 12 years old back in Houston my Dad used to take us to the driving range.

My dad had a church of 90 people when I was born. It was just over the years it continued to grow.

When I was 18 I thought my father was pretty dumb. After a while when I got to be 21 I was amazed to find out how much he'd learned in three years.

The time not to become a father is eighteen years before a war.

Even within the last three or four years I have a greater ability to communicate I think. I have more courage to show the stuff... And it does take courage.

Throughout the years many Christian women have told me of their great respect for the bravery and courage evident in my work perhaps even gesturing to their own Isis earrings or a Nile River Goddess pendants.

I admired Eugene McCarthy's courage and although I left his Senate staff after four years to accept a job as the researcher on the editorial page of the 'Washington Post ' I remained an admirer.

Grave was the man in years in looks in word his locks were grey yet was his courage green.

I started to send my work to journals when I was 26 which was just a question of when I got the courage up. They were mostly journals I had been reading for the previous six or seven years.

Courage! I have shown it for years think you I shall lose it at the moment when my sufferings are to end?

The alternative scene for a couple years now has been taken seriously and that's a cool thing. I don't think it's exploded or anything but I think it's pretty cool that it still exists it's still affecting people.

Dinosaurs was a cool idea but we just couldn't find a way to make it really fun. We've got a bunch of great game ideas that we want to bring to life over the next several years.

I was 35 years old and in a position to take a shot at whatever I wanted to try. The Air Force said I was too old to fly fighter jets. I thought about becoming a fishing boat captain before deciding that acting seemed pretty cool.

I have this desire to just while away weeks months and years. It took me two years to make this record but that was with me trying to condense my process and not disappear down the rabbit hole with all the cool things I've collected. I could take 10 years and not explore everything I want to with these instruments.