A poet, essayist, and cultural critic, Abdurraqib is the author of numerous books, including 2021’s National Book Award finalist “A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance." Abdurraqib, who is also a 2021 recipient of a MacArthur “genius” grant, is the curator of Brooklyn Academy of Music’s diverse and eclectic Spring Music Series. Today we talk about the series and the thinking behind it, and we talk about the role of the curator and critic in 2022. We discuss his writing and we talk about grief. We also talk about Aretha.