The article features a conversation between author Ali Smith and 12 other writers from different backgrounds and genres, including Diane Abbott, Ai Weiwei, Ottessa Moshfegh, and more. The discussion covers various topics such as the state of democracy, climate change, personal growth, and the role of art in society.
Some notable quotes and insights from the conversation include:
* Ali Smith on survival: "Inventiveness, the ability to improvise using any materials at hand, and a knowledge of basic needs and possible hazards are always useful."
* Diane Abbott on American democracy: "It will be hard to make all the Americans line up and salute without killing a lot of people. And the armed forces – as we have just been reminded – take an oath to the constitution, not to an individual."
* Ai Weiwei on hypocrisy and ideals: "Ideals are always aspirational. They have never been fully implemented, as we know. I suppose the question to be asked is: do 'we' – quite a large category – still think these ideals are a desirable or possible goal?"
* Ottessa Moshfegh on her craft: "I don't have to use a manual typewriter any more, so I've more or less forgotten carbon paper. Other than that: write, revise, crumple, throw out, write, revise … then stop to watch murders on TV."
* Ai Weiwei on his art and activism: His work often critiques human rights abuses and raises awareness about social injustices.
The conversation highlights the diverse perspectives and experiences of the writers, as well as their concerns about the world we live in. The quotes above capture some of the key themes and ideas that emerged from the discussion.
Some notable quotes and insights from the conversation include:
* Ali Smith on survival: "Inventiveness, the ability to improvise using any materials at hand, and a knowledge of basic needs and possible hazards are always useful."
* Diane Abbott on American democracy: "It will be hard to make all the Americans line up and salute without killing a lot of people. And the armed forces – as we have just been reminded – take an oath to the constitution, not to an individual."
* Ai Weiwei on hypocrisy and ideals: "Ideals are always aspirational. They have never been fully implemented, as we know. I suppose the question to be asked is: do 'we' – quite a large category – still think these ideals are a desirable or possible goal?"
* Ottessa Moshfegh on her craft: "I don't have to use a manual typewriter any more, so I've more or less forgotten carbon paper. Other than that: write, revise, crumple, throw out, write, revise … then stop to watch murders on TV."
* Ai Weiwei on his art and activism: His work often critiques human rights abuses and raises awareness about social injustices.
The conversation highlights the diverse perspectives and experiences of the writers, as well as their concerns about the world we live in. The quotes above capture some of the key themes and ideas that emerged from the discussion.
. It sounds like every other roundtable discussion you'd find at the literary festival or something. I mean, don't get me wrong, it's cool that they're talking about these important topics, but is this really breaking news? 
And can we please just skip the quotes already? They're just a bunch of people spouting off ideas and opinions without any real substance. How about some actual action or solutions instead of just venting about our problems? 
. And Diane Abbott talking about American democracy, I'm sure it'll be a real breeze once the US decides to get its act together 
. Ai Weiwei's got some points about ideals, but isn't that just code for "we're never gonna achieve anything"? 
Ottessa Moshfegh on writing... yeah, we've all been there with the crumpled up papers and TV breaks 
. Anyway, I guess what I'm saying is it's nice to see these folks chiming in about the state of our world 
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... everyone's got their own thoughts on survival and democracy 
... Ottessa Moshfegh just writes and writes till she's done, no need for manual typewriters anymore lol... Ai Weiwei's always speaking truth to power, even if it's hard to execute 
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I LOVING AI WEIWEI'S POINT ABOUT IDEALS BEING ASPIRATIONAL BUT NOT ALWAYS ACHIEVABLE 
It's easy to just sit around talking about problems when there are some real issues at hand 
. And don't get me wrong, I love art and all that, but is it enough to inspire people or does it just end up being a bunch of empty words on a wall 
?
Anyway, I guess it's cool to see people thinking and stuff, even if they're not necessarily making a difference. Can we get some action plans in there too? 
but seriously the diversity of perspectives in this convo is amazing - it's like, we need more people talking about these big issues & how art can shape our thoughts & actions... 
. Ottessa Moshfegh's thoughts on her writing process are so refreshing 
but what can we really do? We need more people speaking out against the hypocrisy and stuff. Ai Weiwei's got some sick insights too... like how ideals are always just aspirational 
But seriously, we need more people using their platforms to make a change. Can't just sit around watching murders on TV while we're all supposed to be making the world better... gotta take action!