How to Survive the End of the World

Jenn Kidwell, OBIE-winning clown and theater-maker who interrogates race and capitalism. Brandon Kazen-Maddox, ASL artist and former circus acrobat who brings embodied signing to performance. They discuss creating We Come to Collect, using mirrors and projection to force audience reflection, integrating ASL as an artistic collaborator, and staging a live money ask that tests capitalism in real time.

Kate McCabe, founder of Bog & Thunder who curates immersive, sustainable retreats. Max Sussman, award-nominated chef fueling the workshop with thoughtful food. Dwight Dunstan, musician and facilitator who created a live soundscape. They recount a private-island writing retreat in Ireland. Conversations cover collective worldbuilding, music and sound as memory, the ethics of food, and place-based creative practices.

Sonya Renee Taylor, author, activist and artist centered on radical self-love, joins to process survivorhood and collective grief. They explore how art and song help navigate trauma. Conversations move toward imagining long-term cultural transformation, ending secrecy, and planting seeds of love for future generations.

Morgan Bassichis, a comedian, musician, and writer active in anti-Zionist organizing, brings sharp humor and artful rage. They talk about turning archive work into theater, mixing comedy and activism, gender fluidity in performance, and building movements with accessible on-ramps and shared power. Short, fierce, and hopeful conversation about art as sustenance for struggle.

Norma Wong, Zen teacher, poet, and Indigenous Hawaiian leader, brings spiritual teaching, poetry, and practical models. She describes a hand-clasp model for mind and feeling. They discuss trauma, grief, discipline as loving tending, tending neglected systems, and the meaning of aloha. Short rituals and poetry weave through the conversation.

A live winter gathering in Minneapolis sparks conversations about surviving climate and social collapse. They explore practical winter skills, mutual aid, and material solidarity over ideology. Discussion centers on decolonizing neighborliness, cross-racial defense, shared risk, and how to grow movement capacity with invitations and boundaries.

Autumn Brown, movement leader, musician, facilitator and author of Temper. She shares her creative origin story and the moment music reclaimed her life. Conversations explore fugitivity as a practice of self-study, embodied discipline like Aikido, and how intuition, sabbatical choices, and boundary work reshape pathways to freedom.

Pierce Freelon, Grammy-nominated artist and children’s author creating Afrofuturist work. Nnenna Freelon, Grammy-nominated jazz singer and grief sojourner with a book on mourning. They trade stories about family and Phil Freelon, ancestral inspiration, improvisation in grief, puppet performances, Afrofuturist kids’ projects, and turning loss into creative practice.

Explore the concept of altars as sacred spaces for creativity. Discover how intention and attention shape these personal shrines, featuring elements like ancestor images and natural objects. Hear about the ritual of maintaining altars and how they can transform collaboration in creative work. Learn tips for designing dedicated writing nooks and vision boards to spark inspiration. The hosts advocate for using visual art and doodles to initiate projects while connecting with creative ancestors.

Dive into the world of project management as a vital tool for artists. Discover how assembling a support team can free you to create without stress. Learn the significance of daily writing routines and treating art like a job. Uncover the tech behind saving work and backing up projects. Explore how structured planning allows creative intuition to flourish. Finally, grasp the importance of sharing your drafts to kickstart your projects and gather the support you need.