I had a pleasant and thoughtful exchange with artist, author, and poet Matthew Pungitore. We discussed the tough issues facing writers today, including the decline in reading, the nature of art, what motivates my writing, and what writers can do to bring back young readers.

Matthew has a gift for posing thoughtful questions and follow-up questions that encourage a candid and open airing of inner thoughts.

Here’s the text of our conversation, presented in a post titled Art and Masculinity in a Techno-Chimera World.