I believe one must speak, and speak truly. I believe in the power of language to show, to move, to heal, to build. I believe nothing is beyond language---or, rather, that the Nothing that is beyond language is containable within art. I believe that that is what art is for: to contain the Nothing that is beyond language. What is unsaid can be said. What is said can be heard... For I believe nothing is beyond knowing. I believe nothing is beyond saying. Excerpt from "A Writer's Pledge of Allegiance" by Kelly Cherry