Katherine McKittrick is a professor of gender studies at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. She is the author of Demonic Grounds: Black Women and the Cartographies of Struggle (2006) and Dear Science and Other Stories (forthcoming).

Samuel R. Delany is a novelist and critic. His most recent books include Through the Valley of the Nest of Spiders (2012, Magnus Books) and The Atheist in the Attic (2018, PM Press). He lives in Philadelphia.

YEARS AGO, I remember encountering the idea that there is no problem we have in the world that could not be solved by the proper education; you’d think, then, that education would be one of the most important things there is, and I think it is, but it is such a broad category that there is no way to define, really, what it is. Some people are educating themselves when they walk down an old

Duro Olowu is a Nigerian-born, London-based fashion designer and curator. The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago is currently hosting “Duro Olowu: Seeing Chicago,” which was guest curated by Olowu and features more than 360 contemporary artworks from the MCA's collection and those of institutions throughout the city.

Portland, Oregon–based Stephen Malkmus is a songwriter, singer, and guitarist best known for his work with Pavement. His third solo album, Traditional Techniques, was released last month by Matador Records.

Jaimie Warren is a Brooklyn-based multidisciplinary artist and a cocreator of the community arts project Whoop Dee Doo. “The Miracle,” her first institutional solo show in New York, is currently on view at Pioneer Works and will culminate in a large-scale Exorcist-themed musical on April 4 and 11.

Annie Dorsen is a writer and director for performance. Her most recent project, Infinite Sun, is an algorithmic sound installation that was commissioned for the 2019 Sharjah Biennial. Previous performance projects, such as The Great Outdoors, 2017; Yesterday Tomorrow, 2015; and A Piece of Work, 2013, have been widely presented across the United States and abroad. She is also the recipient of numerous awards, including a 2019 MacArthur Fellowship. 

MY TOP TWO FOR EACH DECADE OF MY LIFE (AS FAR AS I REMEMBER):

Joey La Neve DeFrancesco is a musician, historian, and organizer based in Providence, Rhode Island, whose performances combine dance, punk, and drag. She will tour North America and Europe with her latest record, The Vital Cord (self-released, 2020), throughout the year.

Juliana Spahr is a poet. Her most recent book, Du Bois’s Telegram (Harvard University Press, 2018), is about literature and politics. She lives in Berkeley, California.

Nicolas Baird, Lee Pivnik, and Jake Sillen write on behalf of the Institute of Queer Ecology (IQECO), a collaborative, decentralized organism that works to imagine and realize an equitable multispecies future. With programming that ranges from exhibitions, artwork, and publications to direct community actions, IQECO lays the groundwork for a (bio)diverse utopia.

Ottessa Moshfegh is a fiction writer from Boston. Her most recent novel, My Year of Rest and Relaxation (Penguin, 2018), is about a woman who tries to hibernate. She also writes essays and screenplays. She lives in Los Angeles.

Raf Simons is a fashion designer based in Antwerp. His positions have included those of creative director of Jil Sander (2005–12), artistic director of Christian Dior (2012–16), and chief creative officer of Calvin Klein (2016–18). He continues to design for his eponymous label, Raf Simons, which he founded in 1995.

Gabriel Held is a New York–based stylist, vintage dealer, and fashion historian with an expertise spanning Hollywood, art, hip-hop, and the more obscure corners of popular culture. His clients include model Bella Hadid, rap artist Lil’ Kim, and media personality Paris Hilton. Since 2013, he has served on the board of the foundation preserving the legacy of his grandfather Al Held.