Bill Deresiewicz on Eros, Incels, the Not Left, and the Death of the Artist

Bill Deresiewicz is a writer and cultural critic. He’s written popular essays such as “Solitude and Leadership,” and books including Excellent Sheep, a critique of elite education; the The Death of the Artist, which explores the precarious lives of creative workers; and The End of Solitude—a collection of Bill’s greatest essays. We discuss…Subscribe now Is Portland still the Portland of Portlandia? Is Boston the angriest town in the U.S.? Bill’s essay in Salmagundi about the “Not Left.” Is Bernie Sanders’s movement over or dormant? Are the woke responsible for knee-capping Sanders’s movement? Who’s more prudish—the left or the right? Bill’s essay, “Chuck Your Privilege.” Ken imagines a “Cambrian Explosion” on the left with hypothetical political species such as Neo-Guildists, “ProPats” (Progressive Patriarchs), and Neo-Hedonists (my enlightened sensuality movement). Perhaps I’ll do a whole post on these ideas someday… Is Ezra Klein’s Abundanomics Movement… sexy? Ezra Klein’s interview with Democratic rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (my patron saint for the Neo-Guildists) Is 2025 TV “mid?” Ken’s post about when did prestige TV peak? Bill’s essay about incels. Bill’s favorite Substack Writers:Blake Smith Sam Kahn’s Republic of Letters Justin Smith-Ruiu’s The Hinternet Eminent Americans Podcast Bill’s websiteBill’s substack