Born in New York City, the second of three daughters and reared in mill towns in Pennsylvania. "Growing up in a small town gives you two things: a sense of your place and a feeling of self-consciousness--self-consciousness about one's education and exposure, both of which tend to be limited. On the other hand, limited possibilities also means creating your own options. A small town allows you to grow in your own direction, without a bombardment of outside stimulation. You can get a sense of yourself in relation to yourself not to a host of accomplished others. It is important to break out of small town prejudices, however. It is easy to be arbitrary with little basis for comparison. Where I grew up, for instance, women over forty who dyed their hair or girls who wore black before the age of sixteen were considered immoral. All through high school, my father would not allow me to wear make-up.
