“All of my most cherished conversations on [Kathleen] Collins have been with Black women. My introduction to her came via the work of the first female editor I worked with. Her stunning meditation on both Collins and her daughter opened my eyes to a woman whose late arrival to my canon was one I couldn’t understand. As often as I’ve come back to her writings, I’ve also come back to this introductory essay which touched on art, secrets, love, and illness.”