In a recent discussion, she spoke of having to train herself to absorb the meaning of the parables in scripture. ???I used to take it all too literally,??? she discloses. ???Now, I know that I have to take the meaning of each of the stories in the Bible and apply it to my own life.??? Also influenced by writers such as T.S. Elliot, Maya Angelou, Walt Whitman and Nikki Giovanni, her style is bold.