At this point we basically need to rebuild our literary-artistic culture from scratch, as if we all just lived through a very small apocalypse.

We’re going through a period of extreme social atomization, exacerbated by the pandemic, and what’s slipping away is any semblance of a shared culture. Art, music, literature, these things are the loom of the social fabric. We need artists who can approach their craft with an awareness of the role that our era demands. What is art but a special kind of communication, and now more than ever we need to find ways to communicate.

The world is drowning in self-obsessed art. We need to dream bigger, darlings. Get out of your own way, find the people around you through the art you're making, the people with whom you're building the world. Don't be scared. We've got this.