Living a political life and an artistic one has long been considered mutually exclusive. Artists are looked down upon as frivolous by those engaged in political organizing; activists are perceived as single-minded philistines with poor taste.

Here at Jacobin, for example, we are frequently criticized by angry commenters whenever we publish on popular culture. “Why are you writing about this?” these frustrated readers ask. “What does this have to do with socialism?”

But there is a world of wonder and delight — and meaning and political engagement — in finding ways to bridge the gap between the two.