Finding a Good Society in the Mud of Burning Man

Humans Are Human—And Governments Need to Help Them Achieve Self-Reliance and Avoid Panic in the Face of Disaster

Since leaving Burning Man, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about the role that principles play in a society, and what to do when people don’t live up to them.

Burning Man attracts more than 70,000 people each Labor Day weekend to an inhospitable dry lakebed called “the Playa” in northwestern Nevada. Burners marvel at incredible art installations, boogie to electronic dance music, and create and engage in hundreds of different participatory experiences at camps with a staggering variety of themes. These activities range from walking the catwalk after picking …

Pussy Riot’s Nadya Tolokonnikova

Never Forget the Ideals of Your Youth

Nadya Tolokonnikova is a conceptual artist and political activist from Russia. A founding member of the feminist group Pussy Riot, she is also the co-creator of the independent news service …

Artist Gelare Khoshgozaran

The Sun Is Alienating to Me

Gelare Khoshgozaran is an artist and writer whose work engages with the legacies of imperial violence manifested in war and militarization, borders, and archives. Before joining us for this week’s Zócalo/The …

Paul Taylor Dance Company’s Michael Novak

The Dancers in the Company Keep Me Going

Michael Novak is the artistic director of the Paul Taylor Dance Company. Before joining us for this week’s Zócalo/The Music Center conversation, “How Is Art A Weapon in War?,” presented …

Curator Khalil Kinsey

I’m a Fairfax Kid

Khalil Kinsey is the COO and chief curator of The Kinsey African American Art & History Collection and Foundation. Before joining the Zócalo/The Music Center program “How Is Art A …

Novelist and USC professor Viet Thanh Nguyen

I Was an Application Away From Law School

Viet Thanh Nguyen is a professor at the University of Southern California. His novel The Sympathizer won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, and he is also a recipient of fellowships …