Caleb Femi on parties, golden pavements, and the downside of self-awareness. 

Cass Donish on grief rituals, putting on makeup, and letting in joy.

A.B. Spellman on Jim Crow, alligator suede shoes, and shaking up the art of the castle.

Elisa Díaz Castelo on vertigo, breaking a chicken, and her grandmother's advice for a good life.

Violeta Orozco on the US presidential election, leaving Mexico, and her connection to deep time.

Idra Novey on exile, stereotypes, and making art the center of your life.

Garth Greenwell on shame, small acts of love, and the patch of snow inside us.

Helena and Nicholson Baker on drawing your loved ones, the horrors of the world, and finding your way back to beauty.

Tyler Mills on the truth, how to love a cockroach, and her grandfather's silence about the bomb.

Perry Janes on Hollywood, ego, and trying not to break his NDA.

Camille Dungy on her garden, writing from the provinces, and the poetry of Anne Spencer.