Episode no. 1
Coming Fall 26’
can play in shaping and understanding culture
Boston, Massachusetts & beyond
How can writing cultivate cultural capacity?
Critical Mass is a platform dedicated to exploring the active role language can play in shaping and understanding culture through a constellation of forms, publications, programs, and happenings. Situating local contexts within broader conversations and modes of thinking, we believe that the practice of writing is a tool capable of expanding how culture is constructed, circulated, remembered, and engaged with.
In physics, the term critical mass refers to the moment when enough energy accumulates to produce transformation or when an event reaches a peak level of participation, while also referencing Massachusetts, where the concept was born. By positioning Massachusetts not only as a geographic place but also as a conceptual and historical center, Critical Mass uses the state as a point of departure for broader conversations about art, civics, and culture.