*

Chang Yuchen's work, specifically this project in which she creates a writing system through a dictionary of coral—in caring about lacunae and the ineffable

*

Lotus's game, Dandelions, as well as their commentary on the game Kentucky Route Zero—in caring about mushrooms, invisible networks, and critical gestures of imagination

*

Monica Huerta's Magical Habits—in caring about what academic writing can be

*

Teju Cole’s work, especially his recent books, Golden Apple of the Sun and Black Paper—in caring about shadows and unsettling art

*

Jen Bervin's Nets—in caring about the aftermath and afterlives of canonical texts

*

My fellow PhD cohort—in caring about literature, which often feels like an inexorably specific and encompassing experience, & trying to move through collective spaces with love and attention

*

Communities such as Soft Surplus and Gossip's Web—in caring about the possibilities of local and decentralized forms of artistic collaboration and solidarity


*

this George Herbert poem: